Evidence of meeting #112 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 third.
A recording is available from Parliament.
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Conservative
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Voices
Oh, oh!
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Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON
Yes, you're right. I did not live in my own riding. I lived just a little bit outside at one point, and I was able to vote on that basis, and every other member of my family, too. It was section 10, I think, of the act.
The counterfoil, I believe, serves that purpose.
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As an Individual
No. How does that reassure me that I can scream alarm if it doesn't match? Who knows about the counterfoil except the guy in the computer room?
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Conservative
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Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON
You know what? This is halfway through, so maybe it's time for me to stop and turn things over to my colleague Mr. Kelly.
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Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON
I wanted to say thank you very much. I've been following you since I was knee-high to a grasshopper—
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Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON
—and now I've been able to meet you, so thank you.
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Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Thank you to our witnesses here.
Mr. Turmel, I took it from your presentation—and I appreciate that you were trying to get quite a lot of information into that—that you're rather down on some of the challenges around filing and restrictions on candidates, particularly as an independent candidate. Did I catch that correctly?
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As an Individual
No, I was talking about not having a threshold or being excluded from free-time political broadcasting. Free-time political broadcasting used to be fair. I never used to complain unless a station didn't let me on. If you look back in the court cases, yes, you'll see that every time they didn't let me on, I complained to the CRTC, then to the courts.
Recently I can't complain because it's legal for them to exclude me. I'd love you to go back to fix that one.
The one I meant was that you need a threshold, because as I say, I could be busted for going to Chicoutimi if I want to file a zero return, because somebody can ask how I paid for the gas. In the old days, I got $2,000 personal expenses, no contributions, but I can buy my bus ticket or my gas to get there.
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Conservative
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Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
—policy to enable yourself to incur no expenditure and thus not—
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Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
—have to file and then have the requirement of an audit—
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As an Individual
That's right. I want to go to the meetings. That's my duty as a candidate, but I'm not knocking on doors, and I should have a threshold before it needs to be audited.
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Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Would you say that it's somewhat onerous and perhaps a barrier to an independent candidate, or a candidate from a small party, for that matter?
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Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Okay, thank you.
Maybe I have time for just one more question.
In the bill before us, critics of the bill—including me and probably other members of my caucus—have concerns around the issue of third party funding and the ease with which foreign sources of funds are mingled in with third parties and then spent during election campaigns.
Do you have any concern about the way third party funding and third party money impacts elections in Canada?
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As an Individual
No, I think you're doing well in trying to stamp it out and corral it and make sure it doesn't happen. You can only do so much.
I'm interested in what affects the little candidate who is not going to cheat, but he just doesn't want to have to hire an auditor to do his bus ticket.
