Evidence of meeting #125 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.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I'm just trying to understand the scale.
Is this within an electoral riding? Is this in the neighbouring area? You refer to “geographical areas”. What do you mean? Do you mean one riding over?
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
If the Scarborough polls were coming in, would you want to limit the release of Scarborough North before Scarborough East is finished and reported? All their polls are closing at the same time.
Conservative
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
—surveys happen. If there was a certain poll in Scarborough South—is there a Scarborough South?—and Scarborough—Guildwood was still open, you couldn't release that poll on election day in that riding if they were surveyed from that riding, where the sample was taken from.
Liberal
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Yes, but you couldn't release a poll.
If you had a regional poll with multiple ridings, you wouldn't be able to release that poll on election day. It's similar to how you can't release other national polls on election day.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I'm sorry. I misunderstood. I thought this was a vote count of some kind.
NDP
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
So you can't put a public opinion poll out into a region on voting day.
Calgary Midnapore, CPC
That's correct.
You can't when the voting is open, not until after the region's polls have closed.
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Exit polls would be an example, which we don't do as much here in Canada. You wouldn't want to have an exit poll released before that riding is closed.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
In talking about surveys and polls, XKCD had a great comic about 12 years ago saying that the area code of your phone number indicated where you lived in 2006. When you're doing surveys, it can be anywhere in the country now. The numbers no longer have any geographic coordination.
Mr. Morin, what is the effect of this in real terms? It seems that it would be exceptionally difficult to figure out what's going on in this circumstance.
LCdr Jean-François Morin
My understanding of this motion is that really it would apply only to opinion polls for which the target population was located across provincial boundaries, between the maritime provinces and Quebec and then between British Columbia and the rest of the country, because if you look at section 128 of the Canada Elections Act.... That's the current section. It's not in the bill. It's not being amended by the bill. That's the provision that provides for hours of voting on polling day. Canada has had staggered voting times for quite a long period now. Most polling stations in the Atlantic region close at the same time, and then all polling stations from Quebec to Alberta close at the same time, and then British Columbia closes, I think, half an hour later.
I'm sorry, Mr. Chair, I don't know exactly when Yukon closes. I think Yukon closes with British Columbia.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
That's another reference to the most beautiful riding in the country.
This is basically so you can't release polls on election day that are in that area, right?
Calgary Midnapore, CPC
Yes. That's how someone could potentially influence voters who had not yet voted within the region. Again, when you take away the logistics of it, I think the intent is pretty clear.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
But it says from which the sample of respondents was drawn, not where it was intended to be drawn. If you called somebody in B.C., you just messed up your whole thing if you're in New Brunswick. You don't know where they're coming from. That's why I said it's an enforcement nightmare.
Calgary Midnapore, CPC
Yes, but it's not fair if there's a poll in Scarborough that is released as the results for Canada, and it could potentially affect the electors in Skeena—Bulkley Valley, for example.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell
Is there a reason you just didn't say, “no surveys allowed on election day anywhere in Canada for anything”?