Thank you.
I have a question for the analysts.
In principle, the benefits I see in Bill C‑25 may be somewhat different from those Ms. May raised.
I recall one Alain Rayes, who told us that if he wanted to sit as an independent after leaving the Conservative caucus, he wouldn't be able to fundraise for his campaign until the day the election was called, whereas the other parties could start fundraising before that and have their signs ready to go. In that regard, I see why this would be helpful to independent candidates who were serious and wanted a bit of funding to run their campaigns. As we all know, money is the lifeblood of any campaign.
The problem I have, though, is that if the candidate has to file their papers with the returning officer during the pre-election period, that means the returning officer, the office and staff need to be in place during that period. That's a lot of expenses to cover during a period where they may not be as necessary. That's what I'd like to ask the analysts about.
In your assessment, would this require that returning officers' offices be open several months ahead of an election call?