As progress on some measures in the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply agreement continue to play out publicly, the two parties have quietly been in talks to table electoral reform legislation before the next federal vote.
Leading these negotiations on the political front, are Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and NDP MP and democratic reform critic Daniel Blaikie.
In an interview with CTVNews.ca between NDP caucus retreat sessions in Edmonton, Blaikie said there has been “a fair amount of work done,” towards drafting amendments to the Canada Elections Act.
While not a full-scale overhaul of the federal voting system as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once promised, within the two-party confidence-and-supply agreement are a series of electoral reform proposals aimed at expanding “the ability for people to vote.”
Specifically, the Liberals and New Democrats agreed to explore:
Allowing an “expanded” three-day voting period during general elections;
Allowing voters to cast their ballots at any polling place within their riding; and
Improving the mail-in ballot process with both accessibility and maintaining integrity in mind.
“I think if you look at all of those items… those are all things that will require some kind of legislative change,” Blaikie said, adding that the working expectation is that the trio of reforms would be contained in one bill that could be passed in time for the next election.
“I think people on both sides are keen to try and hammer out those final details and have a product that can be tabled in the House of Commons… I’m optimistic that we will have a bill that certainly includes ways of implementing what was in the [deal],” Blaikie said.
What remains to be revealed if, and when, the legislation comes to fruition, is how far the two parties agree to go, whether directly advancing voting accessibility reforms, or enacting some sort of process to further study expanding voting access.
It’s also unclear whether these measures would be in effect for the next federal election, or if the bill would set the timeline for enacting any reforms some time into the future.
On this, the NDP said there have been conversations with Elections Canada centred around implementation, to ensure their desired changes to how Canadians cast their ballots, are feasible.
Expanding the amount of days Canadians have to cast their ballot may be the most significant proposal currently under negotiation.
While Blaikie was hesitant to get too far into specifics of the discussions that have taken place, he said some of the options that have been deliberated include having a voting weekend, expanding voting hours, or potentially adding more advance polling dates closer to election day.
“There’s more than one way to do that. I think the real goal is to make voting more accessible… So we’ve tried to keep an open mind about it,” he said, adding that hearing what Elections Canada has to say about how it would impact their operations, “has been instructive in terms of the discussions.”
Motivating the push for voters to be able to cast their ballots at any polling place in their riding is in-part Blaikie’s experience watching prospective voters be turned away over his years involved with campaigns, both as a candidate, and an organizer in various capacities.
He said in 2024 with the verification technologies available, this policy can be revised while maintaining electoral integrity.
If the Liberals are looking to make further election law reforms, it is possible amendments to enact the trio of reforms could be rolled in to a larger bill. However, that would be a move the New Democrats could only support if the other measures are ones that they can back.
“Issues around democracy and the integrity of elections have been a hot topic in this Parliament for some very good reasons, so we’ll see if there ends up being something more,” Blaikie said.
While neither side of the negotiations would divulge with any precision the timeline or the current state of draft legislation, Blaikie noted “there’s only so much parliamentary runway, and in a minority Parliament, it’s not always clear just how much runway there is.”
LeBlanc’s office told CTVNews.ca that the two parties are “currently working on” this legislation, but also declined to offer any further specifics on the timeline, vowing “next steps will be communicated in due course.”
“Access to the vote is a fundamental principle of Canadian democracy, and our government is committed to further strengthening it,” said spokesperson Jean-Sébastien Comeau.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
