Ernest Lapointe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada)
Liberal
Hon. ERNEST LAPOINTE (Minister of Justice) moved:
That a special committee be appointed to study the Dominion Elections Act, 1934, and amendments thereto and the Franchise Act, 1934, and amendments thereto, and to suggest to the house such amendments to the said acts as they deem advisable, and, furthermore, such committee shall study and make a report on the following subjects:
(a) The proportional representation system;
(b) The alternative vote in single-member constituencies;
(c) Compulsory registration of voters;
(d) Compulsory voting;
and that the said special committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to examine witnesses under oath and report from time to time.
That the committee shall consist of thirty members; that standing order 65 be suspended in relation thereto; and that the following be appointed members of the said committee: Messrs. Bothwell, Cameron (Cape Breton North-Victoria), Clark (York-Sunbury), Dussault, Factor, Fair, Girouard, Glen, Heaps, Jean, MacNicol. McCuaig, McIntosh, Parent (Quebec West and South), Perley (Qu'Appelle), Power, Purdy, Rickard, Robichaud, St-Pere, Sinclair, Slaght, Stevens, Stewart, Stirling, Taylor (Norfolk), Turgeon, Turner, Wermenlinger, and Wood.
And, furthermore, that the minutes of the evidence and the report of the special committee appointed in the last session of parliament to study the Dominion Elections Act, 1934, and the Franchise Act, 1934, be referred to the committee.
He said: Mr. Speaker, this is to reappoint the committee which sat during the last session and considered the various matters mentioned in the motion, and, in general, any desirable amendments to the Dominion Elections Act. The members of the committee are the same as those who served last session, and the work to be done is exactly the same. I remember that the committee tabled a preliminary report and asked that the committee should be reappointed this session to continue its work.