The Special Committee on the Modernization and Improvement of the Procedures of the House of Commons has the honour to present its

 

 

FIFTH REPORT

 

 

1.      Pursuant to its order of reference from the House of Commons dated Thursday, November 28, 2002, as extended by an order of the House dated February 27, 2003, the Committee is pleased to report as follows with respect to the taking of divisions by electronic means in the House of Commons.

 

2.      The issue of electronic voting has been around for some time. It was raised by the Special Committee on Reform of the House of Commons (the McGrath Committee) in 1984, and has been discussed and studied numerous times since then. There are many aspects to the issue – the question of efficiency and accuracy, respect for tradition, the potential for confusion, enhancing the autonomy of Members, and so forth.

 

3.      In recent years, a great deal of time has been saved by the development of the practice of applied votes. No provision exists in the Standing Orders for this practice, however, and it continues to require the unanimous consent of the House.

 

4.      Members of the Committee have visited various legislative assemblies around the world where electronic voting is used. Most recently, we saw its operation in the Scottish Parliament. The general consensus of all of the legislators we have spoken to regarding electronic voting is positive. The technology exists and is reliable, and the results are accurate and readily available.

 

5.      At the same time, we emphasize that technology exists to serve the needs of the House, and should not become the determining factor in making procedural decisions. We have rules in our Standing Orders regarding the taking of recorded divisions, the deferral of divisions, and determination of which matters are voted upon by the House. These matters will continue to be decided by the House and its Members.

 

6.      The Committee believes, however, that the time has come to examine seriously the introduction of electronic voting in the Canadian House of Commons.

 

 

7.      We note that the Chamber Technology Infrastructure Project, which will be implemented this summer and next, will ensure that the Chamber has the necessary infrastructure in place to permit some system of electronic voting, if and when it is approved. We believe that the House should take advantage of this window of opportunity to determine the details of any electronic voting system.

 

We recommend the approval, in principle, of electronic voting in the House of Commons Chamber.

 

We further recommend that the Clerk of the House develop, in conjunction with the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs a detailed proposal for an electronic voting system, to be submitted to the House for approval early in 2004, and that such a system, if approved, be implemented as part of the renovations to the chamber in the summer of 2004.

 

 

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 16) is tabled.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,




Bob Kilger, M.P.
Chair