Procedure and House Affairs committee  There is a fundamental issue at stake here. As I said earlier this week, the rule of law continues to apply in Canada. Until such time as the act is amended in accordance with the usual parliamentary rules, I cannot take it upon myself to amend the legislation. I have yet to see

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I have carefully weighed all of the suggestions that have been made to me thus far. The authority to adapt the legislation should only be exercised under exceptional circumstances. I have the power to amend legislation, even though it may have been adopted a certain way by Parlia

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm not in a position to comment on the comments of the Prime Minister. I can only reiterate that the act does not require visual identification. That is the state of the law. One of the conundrums I have here is that I'm being asked to change the law, which was just adopted by

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm sorry, I don't have any comments on this matter. I think it would be better put to the Prime Minister.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm not aware of what happened during Morocco's election.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  If I may, Mr. Chairman, I will point out a recent decision by the Alberta Court of Appeal, where in one case the court found that the requirements for photo identity on drivers' licences infringed on the constitutional rights of citizens. Therefore, the court ordered the governme

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I believe this provision was adapted because of security concerns for individuals participating in the electoral process. In this instance, adapting the act was completely justifiable.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Let me clarify two things. Based on my understanding of Morocco's electoral system, there are two distinct voting procedures for men and women, thereby ensuring that religious beliefs are respected. I think that if I were to allow for something similar, I would quickly be accused

Procedure and House Affairs committee  We took some very detailed notes during this conference call. I repeat that no objections, protests or discussions ensued over the issue of veiled voters.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Again, we are talking about a different system. However, I would point out that the provincial legislation allows veiled individuals to vote. As I see it, it is incumbent on legislators to amend the act.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Again, I have to say that identification rules have been followed during the voting process which began a week ago and that in my opinion, the public has made its position clearly known as to what the electoral process should be. Political officials have indicated that they inte

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Prior to the enactment of Bill C-31, I'm not aware of any public consultation. There may have been, but I'm not aware of it.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  With me is Mrs. Diane Davidson, the deputy chief electoral officer and chief legal counsel; Mr. Rennie Molnar, deputy chief electoral officer for electoral events; and Monsieur Stéphane Perrault, senior general counsel.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm pleased to appear before the committee today to discuss Bill C-16, the purpose of which is to add two advance polling days to the election calendar. This bill provides greater flexibility for us to serve electors by giving them more opportunities to