Minister open to changing elections bill muzzle clause
The minister in charge of a new elections act said Monday that the government is open to changing a provision that experts feared would prevent the chief electoral officer, Marc Mayrand, from speaking openly.
Pierre Poilievre, the minister of state for democratic reform, said in an interview Monday on CBC TV’s Power and Politics that he would be open to amending the bill “if the language … needs to be clarified to give him comfort.”
In an interview on CBC Radio on Saturday, Mayrand said his reading of the act was that “I can no longer speak about democracy in this country. I’m not aware of any electoral bodies around the world who cannot talk about democracy.”
Until Monday afternoon, Poilievre had declined to clarify whether the act was designed to prevent the head of Elections Canada from giving media interviews, for instance.
The act, as presented by Poilievre, says the chief electoral officer “may provide the public … with information on the following topics only,” listing only details about voting.
Stephen Harper’s government has imposed many restrictions on the ability of public servants and scientists to communicate directly with the public, insisting that messages, even from arm’s-length organizations like the RCMP, are pre-approved by political staff in the prime minister’s office.
Lawyers who reviewed the act said the clause in question appeared designed to restrict the right of Elections Canada to speak in a similar way, and until the interview Monday, Poilievre had failed to clarify the intent of the clause.
In question period on Monday, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair accused the Conservatives of using the clause to cover up wrongdoing.
“Under the Conservatives’ new gag order, the CEO would not be allowed to talk to Canadians about anything except when, where and how to vote,” he said. “So why do the Conservatives want to stop Elections Canada from telling? Why do they want to stop Canadians from learning about their voter fraud?”
Poilievre responded by noting that other sections of the act would require the chief electoral officer to report to Parliament.
“Not only is the CEO allowed to speak, but he is required to speak through reports to Parliament and testimony before a parliamentary committee, which automatically become public,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre’s mid-interview offer to amend the legislation suggests an uncharacteristic willingness to consider changes to legislation. Opposition MPs often complain that the Conservatives routinely refuse to consider amendments, pushing legislation through committees without changes.
A number of clauses of the 242-page election bill have provoked concern, including the restructuring of the investigative arm of Elections Canada, transferring it to the office of the federal director of public prosecutions, who reports to the attorney general.
The bill would also end the practice of allowing people to “vouch” for voters without identification, which some experts say may violate the constitutional right to vote.
Opposition MPs have complained that the Conservatives have cut off debate in the House after only hours, forcing a time allocation vote on Monday evening. On Tuesday, MPs on the procedure and house affairs committee will consider how much time to allow for clause-by-clause debate at committee.