Site MenuAdvisory Committee of Political Parties – Meeting Summary – February 13 and 14, 2019
9. Voter Information Campaign
Presenter: Annie Desrosiers (Director, Special Initiatives Portfolio, Voter Information Campaign); Introduction by Susan Torosian (Executive Director, Policy & Public Affairs)
Ms. Desrosiers briefed committee members on the Voter Information Campaign for the 43rd General Election. She explained that the campaign, previously known as the Electoral Reminder Program (ERP), is a national multimedia campaign that will provide Canadians with all the information they need on when, where and ways to register and vote during the 2019 federal general election. The campaign will include a mix of radio, television, direct mail, online, billboards and social media advertisements and organic content as well as other tools including signage at polling locations, an influencer campaign and leveraging Elections Canada stakeholders to amplify messages.
Ms. Desrosiers shared a list of consultations and focus groups that were conducted in the development of the campaign. This included “Demonstration Day” in April 2018, Focus Group I, Focus Group II, and a consultation with the Advisory Group on Disability Issues (AGDI). Following the consultations, the “It’s Our Vote” concept resonated to a greater extent with participants. Ms. Desrosiers explained that Elections Canada is also planning on launching an Influencer Campaign during the pre-writ period, similar to what was done by Elections Ontario and Élections Québec. Elections Canada will be conducting informal background checks to confirm non-partisanship and requiring influencers to commit to non-partisanship and refrain from endorsing candidates or political parties.
The session concluded with a question and answer period with ACPP members. Elections Canada staff answered questions about:
- The marketing strategy;
- Messaging (the phrasing of “It’s Our Vote” versus alternatives); and
- The success rate of the Ontario or Quebec influencer campaigns.