Library of Parliament Summary of Act to Amend Canada Elections Act

The Parliamentary Information and Research Service of the Library of Parliament has released am updated legislative summary of Bill C-31: An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Public Service Employment Act.

The bill has been passed by the House of Commons and is now at the second reading stage in the Canadian Senate.

"The changes proposed in the bill are a response by the government to a series of recommendations proposed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in its 13th Report in June 2006, entitled 'Improving the Integrity of the Electoral Process: Recommendations for Legislative Change'. The Committee developed its recommendations in conjunction with its review of the recommendations for legislative reform contained in the Chief Electoral Officer’s report on the 38th general election pursuant to section 535 of the Canada Elections Act, tabled in the House of Commons on 29 September 2005. The Committee’s review of the Chief Electoral Officer’s recommendations, and its consideration of the areas it identified as requiring reform, was guided by three over-arching and interrelated themes: the integrity and accuracy of the National Register of Electors; voter identification at the polls; and voter fraud".

For complete information on the bill, including the text, votes in Parliament, departmental backgrounder as well as further readings and opposition party reactions, I recommend the LEGISinfo research service that offers full coverage as well as RSS feeds for bill tracking.