Evidence of meeting #106 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was elections.
A video is available from Parliament.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
It's important to note that during the writ period both issue and partisan advertising are counted, so they can't do that during the writ period. All count toward the total.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
If you are vague about the issue, can you get around that as well, then?
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
No. I think if it's issue advertising during the writ period, it gets counted.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
That's good to know.
The foreign electors, the expat voters, would—
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Those aren't foreign electors; those are Canadians living abroad.
Liberal
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Would they receive anything resembling a VIC, or is it entirely on their own proactive initiative?
Senior Policy Advisor, Privy Council Office
They have to apply to register and to get a special ballot.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
They have to initiate it.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Is there any reaching out to those people before the voting time?
Senior Policy Advisor, Privy Council Office
The mandate of the CEO for public information includes a specific provision allowing Elections Canada to promote to Canadians living abroad.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
It's not personalized. They don't go out to each one. It would be an impossible task.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Are embassies empowered to help in the elections in any way?
Senior Policy Advisor, Privy Council Office
They can accept the ballots and the mailers.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
They can accept the ballots. That's interesting.
You explained earlier how you choose the ridings. How is the declaration made of what riding? Do they just send a letter saying, “I will vote in Nathan's riding”, and that's the end of it?
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
When a Canadian living overseas, especially when they've been gone for a long time, wants to register in Canada to vote, mechanically how would that work? Do they just send a short note to Elections Canada saying, “I intend to register in this riding for the rest of the time”?
LCdr Jean-François Morin
No, they have to fill out an application for registration and a special ballot. The act is very prescriptive on the information that needs to be included in the application. They have to provide sufficient proof of identity as well and they have to declare where their last place of ordinary residence was before leaving Canada.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
So, it's attached to that residence, not the riding. If there's redistribution, it follows the address.
LCdr Jean-François Morin
Exactly. They have to declare the address, and the address is then linked with the electoral district.
If I may answer one of your previous questions with regard to the limitation period for notice of violations that may be issued in the context of the administrative monetary penalty system, the period of prescription will be five years, which is provided in proposed subsection 521.12(1). I believe there was a limitation period for all other Canada Elections Act offences in the past, but my understanding is that this limitation period was repealed in a previous iteration of the Canada Elections Act.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
So, you could theoretically investigate election fraud from 40 years ago.
LCdr Jean-François Morin
The criminal law needs to be settled in Canada, so likely that limitation period that was applying in the past would have applied to those offences 40 years ago. But since the amendment to the Canada Elections Act, yes, it could be investigated and prosecuted.