Thank you to both witnesses.
I think we're hearing today that voting is how Canadians' voices are heard and every vote deserves to be counted. Voters deserve a fair and accessible opportunity to participate in our democracy. We're seeing that this is true for Canadians living abroad. We have people who are serving our country, studying, working or maybe even caring for family overseas. As we're seeing today, they still have strong connections to Canada and I believe this is an important discussion about their ability to vote and the accessibility of voting.
We want to make sure that voting is secure, reliable and inclusive. That is part of the logistics and it's a matter of democratic integrity.
I appreciate the witnesses, Dr. Veale and Mr. Scuka, being here from different parts of the world. We're having the discussion between Ottawa, Hong Kong and Germany right now. I appreciate your time and advocacy.
Just to recap those numbers, you're saying that five million Canadians are living outside of Canada, about 100,000 kits were applied for and then about half of those were returned. That's about a 1.7% voter participation rate.
I appreciate us talking about those barriers. To go from five million down to 100,000 kits applied for, half returned and that low participation rate....
I was looking at a way to start this, so I'll start with Dr. Veale.
I know you've been encouraging early registration. You're saying not to wait until an election is called.
Are there any improvements that can be made when Canadians leave Canada, so they can ensure they're registered to vote even before an election is called?