Evidence of meeting #130 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was voting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
My understanding is that the briefing was primarily oral. I will take a look at whether I had any materials. If that's the case, I will provide them.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Were those discussions used to establish a basis or draft of the bill that is before us today?
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
No. In terms of my role, we had been working with the minister, developing a proposal. We attended a meeting at which the substance of that proposal was discussed. At no time did I provide a draft to the opposition—
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
However, you still submitted legislative proposals, including the date change and assistance at the polls, following the discussions between two political parties.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Once again, Mr. Chair, my role was to provide information and a response. It wasn't to initiate.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Can you provide the committee with the dates of those meetings, Mr. Sutherland, as well as the names of the people who attended them?
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
I can't offhand, but I can look in my—
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Can you commit to providing us with that information?
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
I can try, yes.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
I'm looking for the dates of the meetings and who attended them.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Okay.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Thank you.
I would like to come back to a statement made by my Liberal colleague, Sherry Romanado, who spoke earlier about the people who would benefit from a pension if the election date were postponed by a week, as proposed in the bill. The Conservative members affected voted against the bill because they are sure they will win their ridings. They don't need a legislative change to continue their mandate. I just wanted to clarify that, because I think it's quite important.
How much time do I have left, Mr. Chair?
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Sutherland, clause 40 of the bill states that someone can show up at the office of the returning officer and specify the name of the party they wish to vote for, even if no candidate has been nominated for that party. I'm very concerned about that.
What will happen to these ballots if, on the one hand, no candidate runs for the specified party or, on the other, the selected candidate chooses not to run? If all the ballots are in a ballot box, how are you going to know how to remove those votes in the absence of a candidate in the riding?
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Is the situation you've laid out one in which someone marks a ballot with the party's name, and that party doesn't choose to run a candidate?
Conservative
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
They withdraw.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
How are you going to find that ballot in the ballot box?
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
I think it would simply not be counted. The vote wouldn't be counted, because there is no candidate there.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
If a candidate changes, that's fine, since it's the party that counts. People will vote for a candidate thinking that they were the one running, but, along the way, a new candidate may run.
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Right.
Conservative
Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
Mr. Chair, in what is a rare circumstance—it does happen from time to time that a candidate withdraws and another candidate comes forward to represent that same party—if you had marked your ballot with the party's name, the candidate who officially represents that party would be the vote that would be counted.
That's what I would assume, unless you....
Director, Democratic Institutions, Privy Council Office
Yes, the way that electors vote is not changing. The vote, if the name of the political party is written on the special ballot, is deemed a vote for the candidate in that riding. If there were no candidate in that riding, that ballot would be spoiled, and it would not count. There has to be a candidate endorsed in that riding for the ballot to count.
