Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here, Mr. Perrault.
In your opening remarks, you said that you were against changing the election date. It seems strange that the government is trying to tell you what to do and getting involved with your activities despite your independence. Section 56.2 of the Canada Elections Act gives the Chief Electoral Officer the flexibility to change the date if necessary. However, the bill tells the Chief Electoral Officer what to do.
Isn't the government seemingly trying to serve the interests of many of its members by postponing the specific date to ensure that they receive a pension? Even if we set this interest aside, isn't this a sign or an indication that the government lacks confidence in the Chief Electoral Officer to make an informed, neutral and independent decision to change this type of date?