2007-09-10

The Canada Elections Act - CLARIFICATION

It appears that I have been duped into believing that the Prime Minister actually understood the legislation that his government proposed and passed.

The amendments to the act do not establish photo identification as mandatory.

Bill C-31 states:

SUMMARY

This enactment amends the Canada Elections Act to improve the integrity of the electoral process by reducing the opportunity for electoral fraud or error. It requires that electors, before voting, provide one piece of government-issued photo identification showing their name and address or two pieces of identification authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer showing their name and address, or take an oath and be vouched for by another elector.


And for more certainty it states:

21. Sections 143 to 145 of the Act are replaced by the following:

Elector to declare name, etc.

143. (1) Each elector, on arriving at the polling station, shall give his or her name and address to the deputy returning officer and the poll clerk, and, on request, to a candidate or his or her representative.

Proof of identity and residence

(2) If the poll clerk determines that the elector’s name and address appear on the list of electors or that the elector is allowed to vote under section 146, 147, 148 or 149, then, subject to subsection (3), the elector shall provide to the deputy returning officer and the poll clerk the following proof of his or her identity and residence:

(a) one piece of identification issued by a Canadian government, whether federal, provincial or local, or an agency of that government, that contains a photograph of the elector and his or her name and address; or

(b) two pieces of identification authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer each of which establish the elector’s name and at least one of which establishes the elector’s address.


The Fifth Column apologizes. It should know better than to take Stephen Harper at his word.

5 comments:

Lord Kitchener's Own said...

Don't beat yourself up too much over it! It doesn't seem as though Dion, or Duceppe, or Layton read the legislation before voting on it either!

Frankly, I think before today that Marc Mayrand may have been the only person in the entire country who actually READ C-31. Thank God someone did!

Anonymous said...

This Act disenfranchises a bunch of people too, especially young people without a driver's license or who live on campus. We'll see in the next election.
Just what they want, but who cares when the voting turnout is so low already, right?

Greg said...

Don't worry this was all a smoke screen. Did you hear anything about the Tory Election Finance Scandal today, even though there was supposed to be a hearing about it? The "controversy" has served its purpose.

Anonymous said...

the fifth column should also know better english haha. I think you meant "know" not "no. tisk tisk

rww said...

corrected