Evidence of meeting #32 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was clause.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK
Madam Chair, I just want to get some commentary from our officials on this one, if possible.
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Events and Innovation, Elections Canada
Thank you for your questions.
I would like to offer reassurances that the process for voting on campus is carried out under part 11 of the act, and it has all the checks and balances that you are used to. Candidates' representatives are allowed to observe the proceedings.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK
Just for clarification, I should know this because I've gone through enough elections of my own in my time, but for students on a campus, obviously most of the students wouldn't live in the riding where the vote is being conducted.
How do they ensure that their votes would be counted in the riding where they normally reside?
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Events and Innovation, Elections Canada
In that case, the election officer would have the elector vote, and the ballot that is cast would be recuperated by Canada Post, remitted to the office of the returning officer and then sent to Ottawa where it would be counted in the appropriate riding. The riding where a person is from would be determined at the time, on campus, when applying to vote by special ballot. In those places, you have people who can vote for the riding and other people who actually come from another electoral district.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK
However, in all cases, that ballot has to be sent to Ottawa, and then back to the regular or the normal returning office where the student resides.
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Events and Innovation, Elections Canada
That's correct, sir. The ballot for someone who comes from a different riding would be sent to Ottawa where it would be counted, and the results would be sent to the returning officer in the riding where the elector is from.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
I voted that way once in Ottawa and had my ballot sent back to my riding in a provincial election.
Is G-4 carried on division, then?
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK
I'd like a recorded vote, please.
(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
On CPC-16, just for expediency, I'll let you know ahead of time, before moving it, that I will be ruling it inadmissible.
Obviously, you are still free to move it. I will give you my reasoning.
Conservative
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
I'd still like to move my motion. The reason this is put forward is to prohibit ballot counting to be adjourned or postponed beyond the last day of the election. I know that we've talked about this, even when we're talking about counting ballots and receiving ballots after the election day through the post. We think this is very important for the integrity of the election and the confidence of our voters.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Okay. This amendment seeks to amend sections 266 and 278 of the Canada Elections Act. House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, states on page 771:
...an amendment is inadmissible if it proposes to amend a statute that is not before the committee or a section of the parent Act, unless the latter is specifically amended by a clause of the bill.
Since sections 266 and 278 of the Canada Elections Act are not be amended by Bill C-19 and no prior amendments have been adopted that would necessitate amending them, it is therefore the opinion of the chair that the amendment is inadmissible.
Conservative
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Can we do a quick recorded vote?
(Clause 5 as amended agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)
NDP
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Madam Chair, in light of the fact that NDP-8 did not pass, which has to do with changes to the special ballot to better capture voter intention, I expect that NDP-10 and NDP-11 will suffer a similar fate.
I will therefore decline to move them, in the interest of time.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
Okay.
Mr. Clerk, we don't have a new creation of a clause 5.1 now, since this didn't pass. Is that right?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ruby Sahota
We will have a recorded vote on clause 6.
(Clause 6 agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)
Conservative
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
I'm sorry, Madam Chair. I just want to seek clarity for clause 7.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Clause 7 would effectively introduce a three-day voting period, or have I jumped ahead of a clause? If we vote in favour of clause 7, that implements the three day—Saturday, Sunday, Monday—voting period. Is that correct or have I skipped ahead?