XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics, man.politics, sk.politics   
   XPost: nb.general, ns.general   
   From: gregcarrsober@gmail.com   
      
   On 16/04/2014 3:11 PM, {~_~} Раиса wrote:   
   > CBC News Posted: Apr 15, 2014   
   >   
   >   
   > Fair elections act: 7 things you may not know   
   >   
   > Vouching has been in the spotlight, but there's much more to be found in   
   > 242-page Bill C-23   
   >   
   >   
   > Most of the debate about the changes the government wants to make to how   
   > Canadians vote and run elections has centred around vouching.   
   > But there are many more controversial measures inside Bill C-23. Here   
   > are seven things you may not know about the proposed fair elections act.   
   > . . .   
   >   
   >   
   > 1. Party-appointed election workers   
   >   
   > The government wants to introduce rules that would let the winning   
   > candidate of the previous election — the member of Parliament — choose   
   > some of the workers at polling stations.   
   > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   >   
   > The candidate would select the deputy returning officers, and central   
   > poll supervisors.   
   > Poll clerks would continue to be selected by the candidate who finished   
   > second in the previous election, or by the riding association or party   
   > backing the candidate.   
      
   This is ridiculous. I have worked municipal. provincial and federal   
   elections in the past and I was affiliated with no party. Ppl with party   
   affiliations shouldn`t be excluded but the Returning Officer should pick   
   the best ppl out of those who apply. Partisan politics has no place in   
   the running of an election except for the scrutineers in which case the   
   three major parties tend to cancel each other out.   
   >   
   > The bill's clause 20 would allow a returning officer to refuse   
   > appointments on "reasonable grounds," but doesn't set out what qualify   
   > as reasonable grounds.   
   >   
   > Under current legislation, those workers are appointed by returning   
   > officers, who are hired by Elections Canada. The central poll   
   > supervisors, for example, are put in place at polling stations to make   
   > sure voting unfolds smoothly.   
   >   
   > Harry Neufeld, British Columbia's former chief electoral officer and an   
   > independent election consultant, told the CBC's Rosemary Barton last   
   > month that the move is "completely inappropriate in a democracy."   
   > Neufeld told reporters later in March that the bill is an attempt to   
   > tilt the playing field in favour of the Conservatives.   
   >   
   >   
   > 2. New spending loopholes   
   >   
   > Often, updating legislation means closing loopholes. In this case, the   
   > bill would also loosen campaign spending rules to create a loophole.   
   >   
   > Clause 86 of the new bill would let political parties spend as much as   
   > they want on election fundraising from people who have contributed $20   
   > or more in the last five years.   
   > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   >   
   > Right now, if a party hires a company to solicit money during an   
   > election, that counts as an election expense. Election expenses are   
   > capped based on the population.   
   >   
   > One concern about the loophole is that it would let the parties not only   
   > raise funds but solicit support from voters in those calls, emails or   
   > mailouts.   
   >   
   > As former chief electoral officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley said, it's hard   
   > to separate what Elections Canada calls advertising calls from   
   > fundraising calls. Both are currently included under the spending cap,   
   > which is meant to ensure an even playing field for all candidates.   
   > Exempting the fundraising calls would allow the parties with more money   
   > to spend more hiring professional fundraisers to raise more money.   
   >   
   > "It is simply not possible to seek funds without including reasons for   
   > giving, and this can only constitute advertising for or against a party   
   > or a candidate. Moreover, it favours richer and established parties to   
   > the detriment of small and especially newer parties," Kingsley told MPs   
   > at the procedure and House affairs committee on March 25.   
   >   
   > The Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee will recommend   
   > removing that loophole, the CBC's Leslie MacKinnon reported Monday.   
   >   
   > The bill also increases donation limits from $1,200 to $1,500 a year.   
      
   I agree the loophole should be closed and the donation limit raised to   
   1.5k.   
   >   
   > 3. CEO gag order   
   >   
   > Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand says he's concerned about a measure   
   > that would limit what he can say publicly.   
   >   
   > The act would change the current Canada Elections Act's section 18 to   
   > limit the topics on which the chief electoral officer can speak. The   
   > bill's clause 7 would allow him only five topics:   
   >   
   > How to become a candidate.   
   > How voters can add their names to the voters list or have it corrected.   
   > How voters can cast ballots.   
   > How voters can prove their identity and address.   
   > How voters with disabilities can get into polling stations and mark   
   > their ballots.   
   >   
   > Mayrand told the Senate committee last week that he's concerned the   
   > chief electoral officer would no longer be able to alert the public to   
   > problems during an election or even to work with programs that teach   
   > students about civic affairs and how elections work.   
   >   
   > The Senate committee is recommending allowing the chief electoral   
   > officer to continue his work with those programs and that he be allowed   
   > to notify the public of problems.   
   >   
   Agree with the Senate committee.   
      
   > 4. Notification of investigation   
   >   
   > On the flip side of that, the commissioner of Canada Elections — the   
   > person who investigates possible wrongdoing under the Elections Act —   
   > would have to tell people being investigated about the probe.   
   >   
   > Section 510 of the existing law would see a number of changes, including   
   > an instruction to provide written notice "as soon as feasible after   
   > beginning an investigation ... to the person whose conduct is being   
   > investigated."   
   >   
   > Proposed changes would provide the commissioner an out, however, noting   
   > that notice "is not to be given if, in the commissioner’s opinion, to do   
   > so might compromise or hinder the investigation or any other   
   > investigation."   
   >   
   >   
   > 5. Using the voter information card   
   >   
   > In 2011, Elections Canada tested a pilot program that let groups of   
   > voters use their voter information cards as proof of address.   
   > Approximately 400,000 Canadians living on reserves, in long-term care or   
   > studying at post-secondary institutions used their VICs as proof of   
   > address that year, and Mayrand recommended using the VICs for all voters   
   > starting in 2015.   
   >   
   > Bill C-23 would ban that option.   
      
   I support the pilot program and think C-23 should be shelved.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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