Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to rise today to report on the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures' consideration of the Chief Electoral Officer's report on the administration of the 2003 General Election.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures conducted a public review of the report of the CEO and the administration of the 2003 election over the course of three months, from November 4, 2004, to January 26, 2005.
The committee met first with the Chief Electoral Officer in November and solicited public feedback through extensive advertising in northern newspapers before convening again on January 26 to consider submissions. Mr. Speaker, there were no respondents.
The committee then met with the acting Chief Electoral Officer for a final consideration of the report and its recommendations.
These recommendations and the committee's comments and endorsements are as follows.
Recommendation
That the Elections Act be amended to provide that the first Monday in October be the permanent election day in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, there was broad support on committee for setting a permanent election date. There was some discussion on whether the first Monday of October was the appropriate date. But the advantages of better weather and daylight during the campaign, avoiding
conflict with municipal election dates and the certainty of a fixed election date for planning purposes for the GNWT and any prospective candidate outweigh the disadvantages.
The one downside that was identified by committee was that once every four years the Legislative Assembly would lose the ability to do a comprehensive review of the government's business plans.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures endorses the first Monday of October as the permanent territorial election day.
Recommendation
That a comprehensive review of the Elections Act be undertaken and that a new act be presented to the Legislative Assembly for consideration; and
That the Plebiscite Act be repealed and the provisions for the administration of plebiscites and referendums be integrated into a new Elections Act.
Mr. Speaker, the committee noted the Elections Act has been amended several times and is in need of update and consolidation. The committee agrees with the recommendations to repeal the Plebiscite Act and consolidate its provisions in the new Elections Act.
Mr. Speaker, while the Plebiscite Act has been used rarely, the last time was in 1992, it is almost identical to the Elections Act. For administrative and reference purposes it's inclusion as a separate section of the Elections Act is recommended.
The committee endorses the rewriting of the Elections Act and consolidation of the Plebiscite Act into the new Elections Act.
Recommendation
That the Chief Electoral Officer in partnership with this Legislative Assembly and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment develop a web-based interactive educational site and curriculum on election preparation for use in the schools.
Members noted that electoral participation in the Northwest Territories is traditionally higher than mainstream Canada, particularly in small communities. However, recent studies in southern Canada show that young people's participation in the electoral process has declined dramatically. We need to encourage young people to vote and exercise their franchise.
The committee endorses the development of educational programs that encourage voter participation by young people.
Recommendation
That a review be undertaken to consider the efficiencies and sharing of resources that could occur with the office of Chief Electoral Officer assuming the administrative responsibility for elections of community governments under the Local Authorities Elections Act.
The committee notes that the expertise exists in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to assume the administrative responsibility for the municipal elections. With the exception of once every four years, when the territorial election occurs, Members do not see a reason existing staff could not administer municipal elections.
The committee endorses the office of the CEO examining the potential of taking on the responsibility for the administration of municipal elections.
Other Issues Discussed
Many of the issues Members heard expressed during the last election campaign, such as lowering the voting age to 16, electing a Premier-at-large, and tightening up candidates residency and eligibility requirements, are outside the scope of this report and may possibly be addressed during the legislative process that will occur when reviewing the Elections Act.
Some Members noted the interpretation of the provisions of the current legislation relating to the access of candidates to apartment buildings during elections is too literal and needs to be clarified so that candidates' access to the electorate is not impeded during the campaign period.
Acknowledgements
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures gratefully acknowledges the advice, assistance and cooperation of the former Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. David Hamilton, and the acting Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. Glen McLean, in the course of our review.
Mr. Speaker, that concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures on the review of the report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the administration of the 2003 General Election.