Why?
Evidence of meeting #127 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 recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #127 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 recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Because then it would not come into force. It would be to affect the coming into force of the pre-election period.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Would it prevent it from coming into force in the pre-election period?
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Am I correct that this prevents the coming into force of the pre-election period rules if the bill is delayed past a certain point?
LCdr Jean-François Morin
This amendment provides that if clause 262 of the bill, which is on page 153 and provides for the maximum partisan advertising expenses for a political party during the pre-election period, were to come into force after June 30, 2019, then it wouldn't apply to the pre-election period, which means that there would not be any maximum partisan advertising expenses for political parties during the pre-election period preceding the 2019 election.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Is the effect of this, then, that all the pre-election advertising limits we've placed in Bill C-76, if the election were called earlier, would be voided?
LCdr Jean-François Morin
It's irrelevant of the date on which the election is called. This is only relevant to the beginning of the pre-election period, which is June 30. This amendment would only affect the limits on political parties. It would not affect the limits on third parties.
NDP
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
That's my point. All the limits that we've just placed on political advertising in the pre-writ period, if we were to pass CPC-195 and an election were called early—
Liberal
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
It is an incentive to delay the royal assent past January 1.
Liberal
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Actually, I have a question of clarification for our officials.
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
In a scenario where the government doesn't take the wisdom coming from the Conservative Party, in a case where royal assent is provided for this bill at a date past January 1, so that in fact the coming into force of this bill would be mid-July of 2019, how would Elections Canada deal with the coming into force in the middle of a period where this would apply?
LCdr Jean-François Morin
I'd first like to mention that the Chief Electoral Officer has the power to bring into force various provisions of the act upon the publication of a notice in the Canada Gazette, provided that the preparation for the coming into force of those specific provisions has been completed. The fact that the bill would receive royal assent after January 1 would not be an indication of the applicability of this section.
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
You're saying that the CEO would, in fact, provide written notification that this would be something he could implement.