Information & Ethics committee  Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I am accompanied today, as the chair indicated, by Mr. François Bernier, the legal services director at Elections Canada. I was requested by the chair of this committee to assist members in the study of the review and treatment of election financial returns and the key considerations involved in the review of these returns.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  I am not aware of any such study. I could certainly ask that some research be done and then share that information with the Committee.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  It is not something that I have heard before.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  No, it's for holding joint events.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  It is the prerogative of provincial premiers to decide when an election is to be called, except in those provinces with fixed election dates. To my knowledge, there is no rule. It is the prerogative of the province.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  I suppose those are factors that would have to be considered by the Prime Minister at the time he made the order. However, there is a risk that voters would be much less interested in voting if the choice they make is unlikely to serve any purpose in the near future. Finally, I think we have to consider the impact this could have on the nominees.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  I am thinking of one study that was conducted that we did not commission, and which is now public. It's the study conducted by Mr. Ron Gould on the problems they experienced in Scotland when they implemented this new system. I could send it along to you. It focuses more on the administrative and operational side of things, and the challenges in that area.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  No.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  No, there's quite a challenge there, and I guess there have to be participants who advocate for the system also. Again, it's been well used in other countries and generally well received by electors of those countries.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  We have across the country currently four or five provinces that have fixed dates, so for those provinces I guess that would facilitate the planning for the Prime Minister. For other provinces, yes, if there's no fixed date, I don't think we would be able, or the Prime Minister would be able, to order the selection process to be held in conjunction with the provincial election, because that would assume he knows the date of the provincial election.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  All goods and services, yes.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  Administratively and operationally, yes. The issue is over the rules you would apply on that day. How many rules for voter identification would you apply during that day? That's an issue that needs to be reconciled, and unless there's more clarity in the act.... Let's say there's a general election in any province next year and this bill is in place and there's an order.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  That's a broad question. First, with respect to carrying out those selection processes in parallel with provincial legislation, again it's the Prime Minister at the time of the issuing of the order who would determine whether, given the legal regime in place, it would be appropriate to hold the consultation in parallel with provincial legislation.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  It will be roughly $280 million for the next one.

Bill C-20 (39th Parliament, 2nd Session) committee  If it were not for technology, probably two years would be fine. But with technology, which would be new, again, in the electoral process in this county, it needs to be fully tested to ensure full trust in those results. We think we'll need those three years. I would be happy to share more information on how we arrive at that.