The massive rewrite of the Canada Elections Act will increase partyspending and decrease voting among some groups, all the while failingto provide the investigative powers needed to get to the bottomof election fraud, Canada’s chief electoral officer Marc Mayrandtold a House of Commons committee Thursday.
OTTAWA – Canada’s chief electoralofficer has provided fuel toopposition claims that new electionrules being proposed by theHarper government aredesigned to tilt the field in theConservative party’s favour,reported Canadian Press.The massive rewrite of theCanada Elections Act willincrease party spending anddecrease voting among somegroups, all the while failing toprovide the investigative powersneeded to get to the bottom ofelection fraud, Marc Mayrandtold a House of Commonscommittee Thursday.“In Canada, electoral fairnesshas traditionally been understoodto mean maintaining alevel playing field among partiesand candidates by the impositionof strict spending limits,”Mayrand said.“By increasing those spendinglimits and, most significantly,creating an exception for certainfundraising expenses, Bill C-23may well compromise that levelplaying field.”It took five years and dozens ofspirited denials in the House ofCommons before theConservative party finally pleadedguilty in 2011 to significantoverspending in the 2006 campaign— a plea deal thatConservative MP PierrePoilievre celebrated as a victory.Among Mayrand’s concerns:*By ending the practice of“vouching,” the bill would disenfranchisetens of thousandsof voters who are unable to provideidentification with anaddress, mostly students, theelderly, natives and the poor.* The bill would muzzle bothMayrand and the elections commissioner,who investigates violationsand enforces the CanadaElections Act.“I’m concerned that during anelection we could not issue apress release alerting electors tocertain practices that may happenthat they should be awareof,” said Mayrand, who pointedto events in the 2011 election asan example. The bill fails to giveinvestigators the power todemand receipts from parties,who got $33 million in publicrebates after the last electionwithout providing documentedevidence of expenses, reportedCanadian Press.
