Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Fifth Session - Fortieth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs Chairperson Mr. Ted Marcelino Constituency of Tyndall Park Vol. LXVIII No. 3 - 2 p.m., Wednesday, December 16, 2015 ISSN 1708-668X MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Fortieth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLAN, Nancy St. Vital NDP ALLUM, James, Hon. Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP ASHTON, Steve, Hon. Thompson NDP BLADY, Sharon, Hon. Kirkfield Park NDP BRAUN, Erna, Hon. Rossmere NDP BRIESE, Stuart Agassiz PC CALDWELL, Drew, Hon. Brandon East NDP CHIEF, Kevin, Hon. Point Douglas NDP CHOMIAK, Dave, Hon. Kildonan NDP CROTHERS, Deanne, Hon. St. James NDP CULLEN, Cliff Spruce Woods PC DEWAR, Greg, Hon. Selkirk NDP DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FRIESEN, Cameron Morden-Winkler PC GAUDREAU, Dave St. Norbert NDP GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Liberal GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Cliff Emerson PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC HOWARD, Jennifer Fort Rouge NDP IRVIN-ROSS, Kerri, Hon. Fort Richmond NDP JHA, Bidhu Radisson NDP KOSTYSHYN, Ron, Hon. Swan River NDP LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas NDP LEMIEUX, Ron, Hon. Dawson Trail NDP MACKINTOSH, Gord, Hon. St. Johns NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor, Hon. Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MARTIN, Shannon Morris PC MELNICK, Christine Riel NDP MITCHELSON, Bonnie River East PC NEVAKSHONOFF, Thomas, Hon. Interlake NDP OSWALD, Theresa Seine River NDP PALLISTER, Brian Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine Midland PC PETTERSEN, Clarence Flin Flon NDP PIWNIUK, Doyle Arthur-Virden PC REID, Daryl, Hon. Transcona NDP ROBINSON, Eric, Hon. Kewatinook NDP RONDEAU, Jim Assiniboia NDP ROWAT, Leanne Riding Mountain PC SARAN, Mohinder, Hon. The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron St. Paul PC SELINGER, Greg, Hon. St. Boniface NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC STEFANSON, Heather Tuxedo PC STRUTHERS, Stan Dauphin NDP SWAN, Andrew Minto NDP WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WIGHT, Melanie, Hon. Burrows NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC Vacant Gimli – Vacant Southdale – 21 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS Wednesday, December 16, 2015 TIME – 2 p.m. Before the committee can proceed with the business before it, it must elect a new Chairperson. LOCATION – Winnipeg, Manitoba Are there any nominations for this position? CHAIRPERSON – Mr. Ted Marcelino Hon. James Allum (Minister of Education and (Tyndall Park) Advanced Learning): I'll nominate Mr. Marcelino. VICE-CHAIRPERSON – Ms. Amanda Lathlin Clerk Assistant: Mr. Marcelino's been nominated. (The Pas) Are there any other nominations? ATTENDANCE – 11 QUORUM – 6 Hearing no other nominations, Mr. Marcelino, Members of the Committee present: will you please take the Chair. Hon. Messrs. Allum, Chomiak, Mr. Chairperson: Thank you. Our next item of Hon. Ms. Irvin-Ross, Hon. Messrs. Lemieux, business is the election of a Vice-Chairperson. Selinger Are there any nominations? Messrs. Cullen, Eichler, Goertzen, Ms. Lathlin, Mr. Allum: I would like to nominate Ms. Lathlin. Messrs. Marcelino, Pedersen Mr. Chairperson: Are there any other nominations? APPEARING: Hearing none, Ms. Amanda Lathlin has been Hon. Jon Gerrard, MLA for River Heights nominated–has been elected as Vice-Chairperson. Ms. Shipra Verma, Chief Electoral Officer This meeting has been called to consider MATTERS UNDER CONSIDERATION: the following reports: No. 1, the Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the year ending Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the December 31, 2011 including the conduct of the year ending December 31, 2011 including the 40th Provincial General Election October 4, 2011; conduct of the 40th Provincial General Election Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the year October 4, 2011 ending December 31, 2012 including the conduct of Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the the Fort Whyte by-election September 4, 2012; year ending December 31, 2012 including Permanent Voters List Study, report dated the conduct of the Fort Whyte by-election June 2013; Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for September 4, 2012 the year ending December 31, 2013; Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the year ending Permanent Voters List Study, dated June 2013 December 31, 2014 including the conduct of the 2014 Arthur-Virden and Morris by-elections. Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the year ending December 31, 2013 Before we get started, are there any suggestions from the committee as to how long we should sit this Annual Report of Elections Manitoba for the afternoon? year ending December 31, 2014 including the Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): Until 4 p.m. or conduct of the 2014 Arthur-Virden and Morris sooner if there are no further questions from by-elections committee members. * * * Mr. Chairperson: Are there any other suggestions? Is that agreed? [Agreed] Clerk Assistant (Mr. Andrea Signorelli): Good afternoon. Will the Standing Committee on Are there any suggestions as to the order in Legislative Affairs please come to order. which we should consider the reports? 22 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 16, 2015 Mr. Goertzen: A global discussion. recent elections including the federal election and if we as a province can learn from this. Mr. Chairperson: Any other suggestions? The federal government has signalled that they An Honourable Member: Agreed. will have an all-party task force to review and make Mr. Chairperson: Does the honourable First recommendations on changes to the way federal Minister wish to make an opening statement? And elections are conducted. We will be keeping a close would he please introduce the officials in attendance, eye on the process, and I look forward to seeing if any. what–where they go with that. Hon. Greg Selinger (Premier): Okay, I'm going to Also, I'm pleased to be able to say that–tell the need a little help with this. First of all, our Chief committee today that once Prime Minister Trudeau's Electoral Officer is Shipra Verma, and I'll ask her to plan has been made, we will be–made public, we will introduce her staff. be striking our own all-party committee to tour the province and hear from Manitobans on electoral Ms. Shipra Verma (Chief Electoral Officer): reform here in Manitoba. Tracy Nylen, Manager of Elections Finances, and Mark Robertson, Manager of Elections Operations. Since we last met, we have been working on development of a permanent voters list, as we Mr. Chairperson: We thank the honourable First discussed last year. We were given advice that Minister. to prepare for a permanent voters list, voters enumerated for the next general election should be Can you please make your opening statement requested to provide their gender and date of birth in then? addition to their name and address. Having that Mr. Selinger: Yes, thank you. information would allow each voter to be uniquely identified, which would facilitate the creation of an I'm pleased to provide this opportunity to speak accurate and up-to-date permanent voters list. to the committee this afternoon. Today we are We introduced and passed Bill 45, The dealing with the contents of Elections Manitoba Elections Amendment Act, enhanced enumeration. 2014, the annual reports, as well as other outstanding In preparation for the 2016 general election, Bill 45 reports. amends The Elections Act to enable enumerators to I would like to start by thanking the Chief ask eligible voters to provide their gender and date of Electoral Officer and other election officials who birth. The information will be requested when voters join us here today. This committee meeting provides apply to have their name added to the voters list on elected officials with an opportunity to share their election day or during advanced voting or when ideas on Elections Manitoba's operation and their voters apply to vote as an absentee or a homebound ideas on how to strengthen our electoral process. voter. The information that is collected will form the basis for a permanent voters list to be used for any Open and fair elections are the foundation of our election held in 2020 and afterwards. democratic system, this committee and all-party * (14:10) support here helps strengthen not only this Assembly and its institutions, such as Elections Manitoba, but Bill 45 made other minor amendments to the also our democratic process as a whole. act recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer, including allowing separate voting stations in In particular, I'm also looking forward to hearing residences for seniors and people with disabilities. It from Elections Manitoba and from other members on also permits a voting station already established for a the preparations for the general election in 2016. I'm health-care facility to be used for voting by seniors pleased to see that work is being done to increase and people with disabilities who live in a co-located voter participation and to make voting more easy and residence. We appreciate the Opposition House convenient. It's good to see work is being done to Leader and the member of River Heights for engage young voters and future voters. I'm looking supporting this legislation. forward to hearing about some of the social-media strategy and other strategies in this regard. I'm also We're also looking–working on the idea of looking forward to hearing from the Chief Electoral integrating the Manitoba Health card with Manitoba Officer about the experience they have seen with driver's licences and identification cards issued by December 16, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 23 the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation. This better accomplished through alternate methods of could assist with voter participation and assist communication. citizens when voting. Our next recommendation is to establish a set Thank you for the opportunity to speak this election period for a set-date election rather than the afternoon.