On the Voters' Lists

Originally posted as a comment on comelecAKO

On the Voters’ List: I still remember the old days that every election, provincial and federal, Election canvassers will go house to house, village to village to canvass, register and confirm voters list. Nowadays only new voters need register. After that, voters’ list is updated and upgraded all automatically as the voter moves, from residence to residence, from province to province and also taken off the list if deceased.

How’s this possible? With cooperation from all agencies such as Minister of Transport, Canada Post, Revenue Ministries and all pertinent agencies including the Coroners to report the deceased.

Since the Right to Vote is a constitutional right, no one is deprived of the right even if she or he is not in the list come election day. With proper Ids, any citizen of voting age who has registered before, but was inadvertently omitted in the list can just go to the nearest precinct within the riding or district and be allowed to register and vote at Election Day. And under the Right to Equality provision of the charter of Rights, everyone is entitled to vote, including the physically and mentally handicapped and convicted felon with less than two years sentence. And also the same right to run for public office without the minimum qualification. In the end it is up to the voters who they want to vote as their representative to the House.

Update: 073006

(Originally posted as a comment on comelecAKO)

Election Canada maintains a preliminary voters' list and upgraded continuously. The final list is prepared 3 days after the writ of election is handed down and completed 6 days before election day. The process is very simple indeed. Election Canada will start sending mail to all voters on the list with complete instruction, including the location of polling place, how to vote in advance polls, and for those away or out of the country, how to do it on-line or by mail. Also instructions for those that did not receive their registration notice to contact their Returning Officer to add their names. Registration process are also simplified for new citizens, it's included in the form and all you have to do is check the proper boxes. Also registration can be done by filling the form in the Income Tax Return. And all the updating is done automatically thereafter.

On Political Financing

Originally posted by Vic

Political Financing -- Posted Aug 6, 2006 Perhaps one of the most important issue that involve the Electoral Process is the "Financing" of Election; from the nomination of Candidates to the campaign during the "period" and also to electing Leadership of the Political Party. And here should the Law pertaining to contributions, process of recording of contributions and donation to Candidates, political party and to political association should be clearly defined and enforcement should also be emphasized.

For Canada at Present Electoral Financing Comes from Three sources: (I will note as I go along the part that is in the plan to be scrapped or reformed).

1.Individual Citizen-Every citizen is encourage to contribute and participate in the process. Contribution for individual as of present is limited to $5400 for a registered party, candidate or association. As an incentive to encourage contributions by individuals, a 75 percent tax credit, for donation of $400 and a maximum of $650 Tax Credit for $1250 or more. Although most party member or individual may contribute less, the maximum limit will assure the voting public that no individual no matter how rich he or she maybe can influence the outcome of the election by unlimited contributions. Any fraud involves in this matter is under the Criminal code and will be enforced by the police upon the advice of Election Canada..

2.Corporation and Labour Union-Maximum contributions allowed of $1000. This one is subject to debate at the moment and some quarters wanted it scrapped altogether. Since to my understanding, there is still no limit to how many candidates and parties and political association both the corporation and the union can contribute. And the biggest loophole so far and it is being addressed at the moment is the Officers and Families of two entities can avoid the limitation by going the route of Individual Donation. This come to light at present as the Liberal Party is now in the process of electing its Leader. One of the leadership candidate was exposed to have received donation from the whole family members of Corporate "biggie" to the individual Maximum and was forced to return the money. Corporation can also go around this, by using their employees to contribute to the favoured party at the company’s cost.
This is one reason why our Chief Electoral Officer wanted a detailed list of all contributors and the amount contributed and the records should be kept for at least two years and subject to audit by Election Canada and Revenue Canada.

3.Government..The Government will pay $l.75 (dollar seventy five cents) per vote received by the party in the previous general election, provided the party has received in the last election either the 2% of the valid votes nationally or 5 % of the votes in the ridings where the party ran a candidate.

Also the Government will reimburse 50% of the Registered Parties Election expense as well as 50% of Individual candidate expense provided he or she received at least a 10% vote cast in the riding..

Caveat: For those who want to run for office, anyone over 18 is qualified, no minimum qualification required, but a deposit of some amount is also required and will be forfeited is such candidate can not get enough vote as per guideline for "nuisance candidates". This one is for people, who want their name in the ballot but won’t even go out and vote for themselves. You abuse the system, you pay in money or in time, have your choice.

The Limit: Election Expense Limit

Canada is divided into 308 electoral Riding, (district, constituent) represented by one member each riding.
We are also a "Political Party" lead type of government, whose head of the Government is the Prime Minister, which is the leader of the Party who won the most number out of the 308 ridings.

Currently there are four major parties who represent the totality of the seats. They are as follows:

Conservative Party of Canada - currently in minority govt. (the most, but less than half + 1 of the 308 seats).

Liberal Party - The official loyal opposition ( second most seats).


New Democrats - Perpetually known as the third party. (fourth in number of seats represented).

Parti Québécois - Party arises from the Separatist movement in Quebec in the previous years to represent the interest of the Provincial counterpart and the party members and followers in the Province. (Seats represented from the ridings in Quebec only).

As I always emphasize in all my comments and postings, the Right to vote in an election, referendum, and all decision that requires voters input, is for Everyone, irregardless of Physical and mental disability, and to make this possible, a very simple and easy process has to be available to all.

1>Polling places should be accessible to all, and be wheelchair access equipped.

2>Transportation should be provided to all who wish to vote, but can’t make it on their own.

2-1 disabled voters can vote athome in a specially design tampered proof ballot with a witness and the presense of a returning officer (election official).

2-2 for visually impaired; a specially designed ballot (braille) is also provided whether at pre-polls or on election day.

3> Enough time should be required to all employers, be given to all employees for the purpose of casting their votes.

3-1 for those who may not be able to vote on election day may cast their votes on pre-polls dates or by specially designed mail-ballots or on-line.
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4> And the actual voting itself should be as simple as it could get.

4-1 And here the pudding of it all... One X and you’re done.

4-2 No name writing (for those who may not be able to write)

4-3Only one name to be marked. (Any voter could visualize the name of his/her choice).

4-4 This all means a very easy counting of votes after.

4-5 In one hour or so after all the polls are closed (remember Canada has five different time zones with 5 hours difference from atlantic to pacific, and no reporting of results to other provinces where voting is still going on.), you can go to bed (if your candidate or party lose) or party all night (if you win or your party won) or better just go to sleep and go to work in the morning.

Simple yet so effective...

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Political Parties and How They Dominate the Canadian Political Landscape instead of Personalities.

In most other Democracies, a Leader can get elected to the Top Office on the strength of his/her personality or personal power instead of the Party ideologies, principles, programs and campaign promises. Not ever since the Election of Pierre Trudeau Liberal government had a personality propelled a person to the office of PM. That was an exemption for an exceptional man.

There are Numerous registered Political parties in Canada at present. From Communist Party, Green Party, and a few more fringe parties, but at the moment only four major parties are represented in the Federal Parliament. They are the Following:

Party in Government>> Conservative Party of Canada.
The party formerly known as Progressive Conservative was founded at the inception of Canada’s independence in 1867 and its leader Sir John A. Macdonald was the first PM and the party governed Canada for over 40 years of the first 70 years of its existence. Ideology is generally center-right and lately it is leaning more to the left. That’s more of the effect of the continuation of the more than a decade of Liberal government policy and programs and not the reflection of shift of ideologies.


The Official Loyal Opposition Party>>Liberal Party of Canada.

The Liberal party is one of the two original parties that started the Political party system of Canadian politics. Both the Liberal (Reformers) and the Conservatives were formed before the independence and the armed Rebellion against the British by the Reformers had caused the rulers to hasten granting Upper and Lower Canada its Independence. Between the two Parties, they governed Canada during its whole existence.

Liberal Party Ideology is Center-Left and the programs of governments are both the same as conservatives as they both deal with current issues. They both differ in dealing with foreign policy, which categorize the conservative as in line with U.S. Republican and the Liberal with U.S.Democrats.

Opposition Parties>>New Democrats and Bloc Québécois.
New Democrats is the third party known for its socialist Ideology. Provincially it is the Party of choice in the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and once in Power in Ontario and few other Provinces. But Federally, it stays in the background with a steady hardcore supporters of more or less the same percentage of the population.

Bloc Québécois is the party that was born out of Quebec Province Secessionist ambition. It is the Federal counterpart of the Provincial Parti Québécois to promote Quebec interests and only the Province of Quebec. It was started in 1990 as a party by a informal coalition of members from Quebec and became an opposition when the Liberal came to power and the conservative itself split into fragments as Reform party of the "west"and what remained of the originals. Now the Conservatives are back together again and the Bloc Québécois is slowly melting.

The idea of my posting the overview of the Political Parties and their backgrounds is to emphasize the strength the Strong Party System of Governance that takes away the "cult" the culture that is inherent to personality driven one. But again in the end to each his own and the mechanism that may well-work in one’s setting may not work in others. I can only say that so far no system of Government nor Electoral is perfect or even close to it, unless the subjects strive to make it so.
Posted 26 Aug., 2006


The Local Government and Its Structure: by vic 30 Sep. 2006

Just like any structure of governments, we do have municipal and city governments and have some clearly defined powers including taxation and introduction of local laws and bylaw.
The power, limitationlimitations and terms of office are clearly defined in the Municipal Acts and are under the authority of the Provincial governmentGovernments and Territories and may get direct financial support from the Federal Government for some projectprojects that are national interests in nature. Municipal governments are responsible for delivering basic services such as waste collection, road maintenance, water supplies, power supplies, fire and police protection, social services such as child care centers, hostels, and also managing social welfare housing and child protection agencies and mass transportation.

The Municipal Council - City and Municipal Governments are governed by municipal council, headed by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor (appointed by the mayor from among the elected councillors), and public servants.
Election Process - the council has the term of Three Years, without the term limits for politicians. The Mayor office is contested by Candidates as individual (party system is not allowed for municipal officials) and the Candidate who got the most votes (not majority) wins the Contest. The councillors are contested by candidates for every riding (district) and only one candidate represents each riding and the winner is also determined by the one with most votes (there is no run off). Voting is the same as with any election only this time we have to cast two choices. One for the Mayor and one for the councillor.

Taxation: Municipal and City government is not allowed to borrow money for expenditures. It will raise either taxes to cover expenditures or cut expenditures. The main sources of revenue are Property Taxes on real property like houses and lots, musicalmunicipal licences, parking fines, by-law infraction fines and download from provinces and the federal government.
Police and Fire are the two most visible responsibilities of the municipal governmentsgovernment and its largest takers of the overall budget. But it is also responsible for health care like making sure that Children are immunized, and it is directly responsible for social housing and maintenance of public schools. Together with provincial government and the Federal government it compliments each other in completing the coverage of governance that make sure that one aspect that may not be covered by one layer of government is covered by the other . . .

Like in my previous postings regarding the source of Election financing and limits to both contributions and spending, the same is true to municipal elections.