METHODOLOGY
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The study will examine the work of the 10 commissions and Elections Canada, which plays a critical role by providing the commissions with professional, administrative and support services.
The findings of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages’ three investigations into the complaints received against the commissions for the province of New Brunswick and the province of Alberta were taken into account. Situations brought to our attention after the Ontario commission had disbanded were also reviewed.
The documents produced by the commissions and the minutes of the public hearings that were available were also analysed. Any opposition by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the responses from each commission were reviewed as well. Moreover, we consulted documentation prepared by Elections Canada and the section on its Internet site entitled Federal Representation 2004. Elections Canada representatives were also interviewed. The report of the Chief Electoral Officer entitled Enhancing the Values of Redistribution, tabled in Parliament in May 2005, was also taken into consideration.
The minutes and report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and of the Sub-committee for Electoral Boundaries Readjustment, as well as those of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages, were also reviewed. Representatives of official language communities in New Brunswick, Alberta and Northern Ontario were interviewed. Two electoral commission members were consulted. We also consulted an expert in this field, Prof. Denis Duval of the Université de Moncton, and reviewed the relevant case law.
