Procedure and House Affairs committee  From the information I've had so far, Elections Canada is a robust organization. They've gone through the process of growing to 160,000 people and downsizing afterwards. They have done that repeatedly over the last 10 years. I can assure you that I will rely on their expertise in managing those kinds of events.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer the question, but I think you would find that I rate rather highly on that scale. I think I've had excellent relationships with staff. I've been able to engage them and to generate their commitment to a vision over the last 10 years. I also work hard on maintaining constructive business relationships with stakeholders.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I am rather surprised at the reputation you are attributing to me here today. We have a complaints processing system in our office. All complaints are reviewed on their merits. We have an internal complaint monitoring system and an internal complaint review system. No matter who is involved, if there are grounds for thinking that an offence may have been committed, an investigation is conducted.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes, I'm aware of the challenges that exist in such an organization. As I mentioned in my opening statement, I have had the chance to manage a very diverse organization over the last 10 years. It's a decentralized organization that relies heavily on partnerships. These are partnerships with licensees, which are an extension of the office of the superintendent and carry out the administration of hundreds of thousands of estates.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That is what I might call the cascade effect.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I see; we will certainly be looking into that.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm familiar with all that as a generally well-informed citizen, but I am not familiar with it in any detailed way.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes, I will be relying on members of this committee and members of the various advisory groups to bring me up to speed quickly on these matters. I can assure you that I will commit myself fully to this task.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I apologize, I was misinformed.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Privacy considerations are a thorny issue for a number of government organizations.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  If I understand it, there must be a balance between facilitating voter participation and maintaining the integrity of the voting system. In order to maintain the integrity of the vote, from what I understand of Bill C-31, we must be able to identify voters who want to exercise their franchise on voting day.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You mean the list of electors.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I understand that Bill C-31 has been passed at the third reading stage in the House of Commons. Has it not been passed at the third reading stage in the House of Commons?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  This is a sensitive matter and one I would like to review much more closely before expressing a firm opinion today. I know that this matter received a great deal of discussion by this committee. I believe you heard from the information commissioner. To some extent, I would really like to have an opportunity to review all the aspects of the issue and to determine if there is a way of placing conditions on this new requirement so that we can ensure people's privacy.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I am well aware that there has been a very significant number of changes to the legislation for Elections Canada. I will have to find out about the exact status of these issues so that I know exactly what is in force, what is not and when the provisions will be in force. However, there is no doubt that the priority of Elections Canada is to be ready for an election.