Evidence of meeting #124 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 election.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Yes, for the last two years.
(Clause 93 as amended agreed to on division)
On clause 94, CPC-33 was defeated because of CPC-30.
(Clause 94 agreed to on division)
(Clauses 95 and 96 agreed to)
(On clause 97)
Amendment CPC-34 adds that an election officer has the mandate to make sure that he adds the polling division on the ballot for the reason I explained earlier today to the Bloc. Now that all the polling divisions are mixed together, you still want to be able to tell the political parties who voted in what polling division. It's on the ballot now. There's a spot for it. This just adds the administrative thing that was missed, so that the election officer should make sure he fills that out on the ballot.
Stephanie, do you want to present this amendment?
Calgary Midnapore, CPC
Yes. You're correct that it requires the election officer to write an elector's polling division in the space provided on the back of the ballot.
We believe it was just an oversight in the original draft. We believe that LIB-10 is in the same spirit as CPC-34. This is just a piece of information that is necessary on the ballot. As I said, we think it was an oversight, and this addresses that oversight. This oversight is also recognized by the government in amendment LIB-10.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Okay. Is there any further discussion?
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The vote on amendment LIB-10 also applies to LIB-22, which is on page 127. Does someone want to introduce LIB-10?
There's a bit of overlap with CPC-34. Is it the same? Okay, so you're not going to move it, then.
Liberal
Liberal
The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Philippe Méla
No, it can be separate.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
We'll deal with that separately when we get to it. It's not consequential anymore.
(Clause 97 as amended agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(On clause 98)
There's a CPC amendment suggesting that when the person is bringing the ballot back in the polling station, they bring it back to.... It just says “election officer” right now. The CPC amendment is suggesting they bring it back “to the election officer who provided it.”
I'm wondering, if that election officer had gone off shift or something, who they would bring the ballot back to under the CPC amendment.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Oh, right. It's matching it with the French. This is just a matching of the English and the French type of amendment.
Go ahead, Stephanie.
Calgary Midnapore, CPC
Again, this is just another safeguard within the new system to ensure that the vote itself is returned to the same station at which it was issued.
You mentioned the possibility of the election officer who issued it...but we're talking about a 30-second process. We think it's a common sense safeguard to require the voter to return the ballot to the same election officer who issued it.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Is there any further discussion on CPC-35?
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(Clause 98 as amended agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(Clauses 99 to 101 inclusive agreed to)
We got to 100. Good progress, committee.
(On clause 102)
This is the first of the new amendments that we're looking at today from the CPC. You're looking at the reference number at the top left-hand corner, which is 10008654.
Could that be presented?
Calgary Midnapore, CPC
Essentially we are maintaining the requirements for interpreters to be affirmed. I think it's important to have the legitimacy of the interpretation to ensure the integrity of the voting process.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
The officials are welcome to comment on this too, because like the rest of us, they haven't seen this yet.
Anyone can comment. It's open for discussion.
Liberal
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
This is backstopped by a number of offences that are already in the act and really wouldn't particularly add anything.
Liberal
Liberal
Chris Bittle Liberal St. Catharines, ON
Yes. It's covered in terms of the offences that already exist within the act on the secrecy of the ballot.
LCdr Jean-François Morin
Yes.
To answer Mr. Bittle's question, the secrecy of the vote and all the prohibitions associated with it are found in the proposed new part 11.1 of the bill.
