Procedure and House Affairs committee  I don't want to encourage Elections Canada to drag its feet in providing the refund, but its representatives may be able to tell you how many associations and candidates have still not received their refunds, since the 18-month deadline for the January 23, 2006 election will soon be upon us.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It is up to the individual to ensure that the contribution limit is respected. In fact, it is up to the individual to remain within the annual contribution limits that are set out in the act. Until they become aware of it, associations that receive this money are not considered liable.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Unless I misinterpreted Bill C-54, and unfortunately for Ms. Dion, there is no proactive measure to encourage women to enter politics. Bill C-54 has no bearing on this very laudable objective. The bill states that from now on, loans will not be granted by financial institutions, period.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  We are not really in favour of transferring the debt. I think that goes against the provisions of the Canada Elections Act. There is a growing trend to make the candidate and the registered association accountable directly to Elections Canada. All of their expenses have to be paid before they submit their financial return.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The fact that an association or a party, if there is no association, must be the guarantor can also have another effect. With this extra guarantee, the banks can be much more generous and not quite as strict when it comes to loan applications, since they know that, at the end of the day, either the party or the party association will be liable for any unpaid debt.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It is obvious that there are ceilings in the act. However, the culture in some political parties can lead to—and this is the case for the Bloc Québécois—a maximum that is lower than the amount provided for in the act. Party democracy, and what we are proposing, dictates that we can have rules to reduce these limits and provide for a greater equality of opportunity.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you for inviting us to express our opinions on Bill C-54. The Bloc Québécois supports the principle of the bill, which sets out the guidelines for loans. The bill will ensure compliance with the rapidly evolving rules relating to federal party funding. It will also prevent any shady or downright fraudulent lending from taking place.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  My name is Gilbert Gardner and I am the General Director for the Bloc Québécois.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I do not believe that Bill C-16 will really contribute to greater equity in terms of the candidates and the people who get elected. I think that there will have to be some profound changes within society before we will see greater equity, and I don't think Bill C-16 will in any way change the current, unfortunate reality.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  We can certainly give this some thought, but in terms of the principles, there is certainly the fact that this date would directly conflict with well-known dates, such as the first Sunday in November, when municipal elections are held in Quebec, not to mention the other point that I spoke about at length -- namely the fact that many people move around that time and the voters list in Canada would not be complete.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  My friend here has just given me a clear indication that Jean Charest is going to be defeated in Quebec. Some $3 billion have been spent since the month of June. As you were saying earlier, I think that if we want to have some control over a government's integrity and morality as regards the use of public funds in a pre-election period, we will have to establish an actual complaint process.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You talked about the fact that school and municipal elections occur on a Sunday in Quebec. Of course, we're talking about different levels of government. The voter turnout for school elections is between 10 and 15%. At the municipal level, it's about 40 or 50%, at most. Those are relatively low turnout rates -- at least lower than voter turnout for a federal election or an election held in Quebec since, for many years, the voter turnout was about 80% when the election was held on a Monday.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I just want to mention that the Committee cannot rely on an act of faith by the Chief Electoral Officer, to the effect that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the voters list is complete. He has an obligation to get results. I understand that people are entitled to decide whether they want to exercise their right to vote or not, but the first condition to be met before that can occur is to have one's name on the voters list.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  There is no doubt, given that municipal elections take place on the first Sunday of November, that there will be a considerable amount of “traffic”, so to speak, in terms of posters, organization, and even knowing what specific election or polling station is being referred to. So, there is likely to be quite a lot of confusion.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I have one last comment to make on that. I think it's up to the Committee to take a very careful look at the entire calendar. An initial review suggests the first Monday in May, but I do think it's up to the Committee to consider selecting a date that will have no negative impact on the electorate.