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Meeting Summary – Annual General Meeting of the Advisory Committee of Political Parties – June 21–22, 2010

Business Plan

Elections Canada's 2010–2011 operations are characterized by four distinct areas that influence the agency's priorities and activities for the 2010–2011 fiscal year: readiness, changes to the legislative framework, fiscal restraint and the strategic plan.

A state of readiness brought on by minority government warrants that Elections Canada continually remain ready to conduct an election at any time.

Meanwhile, Elections Canada remains prepared to respond and implement changes to the electoral framework as they may arise. During the third session of the 40th Parliament, there have been four bills of interest to Elections Canada. These concerned selecting nominees for Senate appointments, adjusting representation in the House of Commons to reflect demographic shifts, providing more opportunities for advance voting, and setting rules for loans to political entities. The last two would involve significant changes to the Canadian electoral framework and may become law during the current fiscal year.

The new climate of fiscal restraint imposed by the latest federal budget necessitates that Elections Canada cover the costs of this year's salary increase resulting from collective agreements. In the spirit of fiscal restraint, a cap on the annual budgets that are dedicated to day-to-day operations and projects has been put in place.

Priorities for 2010–2011

  • Improvements for electors (i.e. accessibility)
  • Recommended amendments to the Act (i.e. the recommendations report)
  • Services to political entities (i.e. the new Political Entities Registration System)
  • Internal improvements (i.e. human resources strategy, risk management practices)