open Secondary menu

Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Following the November 29, 2010, By-elections Held in Dauphin–Swan River–Marquette, Vaughan and Winnipeg North

3. Conclusion

The by-elections held in Dauphin–Swan River–Marquette, Vaughan and Winnipeg North on November 29, 2010, ran smoothly and featured many innovations. The new measures described in Section 1 of this report paved the way for several improvements in the service provided to electors and will be followed up with further measures aimed at making the electoral process even more efficient and accessible.

The assistive voting device pilot project conducted in Winnipeg North demonstrated that the type of device tested in this electoral district was not an appropriate solution for federal elections. However, the project confirmed the usefulness of testing a model for serving electors before recommending legislative amendments, and Elections Canada will wish to take advantage of this mechanism in the future to test other electronic voting methods, with the approval of parliamentarians. The full report on the pilot project is annexed to this report.

In response to the Hughes ruling, Elections Canada has taken the corrective action ordered by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and is planning to take additional measures to ensure that polling sites are accessible.

The new initiatives involving the use of the voter information card as proof of identity and address at some polling sites and the introduction of community relations officers assigned to seniors have shown positive results. We are planning to implement these two administrative improvements during the next general election.

Meanwhile, Elections Canada will continue to take all necessary measures to maintain an adequate state of readiness for a possible electoral event.

The Chief Electoral Officer remains available to Parliament to discuss any proposed changes to the current electoral process.

Lastly, in all its activities, Elections Canada will stay the course to deliver on the three main objectives set out in its 2008–2013 strategic plan – trust, accessibility and engagement – which constitute the foundation of its service to Canadian electors.