Procedure and House Affairs committee  To pick up on that, we're a busy society, a society in constant motion, in which in urban areas especially, people are in different ridings, and so on. I think in terms of the principle of yes, you must establish your identity, we need to firm up those procedures and make balloting more accessible.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think anything that encourages participation, that ensures that we ensure people's proper identity is established, but that has the souplesse needed to mediate, as my friend says, or swear an oath or whatever, to establish identity...whether that is challengeable is I think a fair one.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Mr. Godin and I come from the same province, and we are familiar with the political traditions with regard to deputy returning officers. There is indeed a tradition of paying people who work at the polling stations in the Maritimes. I don't see anything inappropriate about it, as long as those payments are recorded on the list of candidates' expenses.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  On the issue of the validity of the list, the best I can say is that my friend from the Bloc has given us a good suggestion. Let's have better sources for that data. It is optional on your tax return, as you know. I don't know why it is an option. I don't know what the downside is for having your name on a permanent list of electors.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I would indicate the Conservative leadership race did not happen with the contribution limits as envisaged by Bill C-24.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Voting on Sunday is something that seriously has merit. With the risk of sounding like a heathen, it is something that should be seriously examined. Voting on a Sunday is something that would tangibly and manifestly increase voter turnout. On the signatures, again, I agree with my friend on most of these administrative details, and as a general note it should be considered that frankly on most of the issues we agree most of the time.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  As a general principle, I think it's possible to go too far. I don't accept the fact that political parties are not mature and have not evolved enough to run their own affairs, to run their own nomination meetings, and to conduct leadership conventions. At the end of the day, we respond to and are judged by the public.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Again, without needing to repeat, I share the views of my Conservative friend on my ambivalence on membership fees and on the debt thing, but I think we'd be open to any change that would make it easier and would be a reasonable one. With respect to what you call an absence of accountability with respect to leadership spending limits, I must respectfully remind you that the Liberal Party, as the first party to go under Bill C-24--you'll recall the Conservatives acted in great haste to make sure their leadership election was conducted under the previous rules, and did so very, very quickly and mysteriously on New Year's Eve.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I entirely agree. I find it completely reasonable that voters should be asked to submit a more or less official document, preferably with a photo, which proves their identity and place of residence. In the riding I mentioned earlier, there were magazines containing addresses. There is an endless number of examples.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you very much. It's most appreciated. I apologize for underestimating the amount of time I had, or underestimating how long this would take. I'll perhaps just pick it up where I left off, if you like, for the record, but I did give English and French versions of this to the clerk.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  On the second one, I think in principle anything that ensures access of Canadians to their elected representatives or candidates is a good thing, and if that access is not wide enough, then we ought to look at widening it. On the first point, and in the interests of time, I will simply say that I agree with both the member and my friend from the Conservative Party.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I gave the interpreters the French version of my remarks. I'll be pleased to give it to all committee members.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I have a reading copy here.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, I'm trying to give all my presentation in the time allotted to me.