Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum
Part 2
Chief Electoral Officer and Staff
Chief Electoral Officer
13. Not applicable.
14. Not applicable.
15. Not applicable.
Powers and duties of Chief Electoral Officer
16. The Chief Electoral Officer shall
(a) exercise general direction and supervision
over the conduct of referendums;
(b) ensure that all referendum officers act
with fairness and impartiality and in compliance
with this Act and the Referendum Act;
(c) issue to referendum officers the instructions
that the Chief Electoral Officer considers
necessary for the administration of
this Act and the Referendum Act; and
(d) exercise the powers and perform the
duties and functions that are necessary
for the administration of this Act and the
Referendum Act.
Power to adapt Act
17. (1) During a referendum period or within
30 days after it, if an emergency, an unusual or
unforeseen circumstance or an error makes it
necessary, the Chief Electoral Officer may adapt
any provision of this Act and, in particular, may
extend the time for doing any act, subject to subsection (2), or may increase the number of
referendum officers or polling stations.
Limitation — power to adapt
(2) The Chief Electoral Officer shall not
extend the voting hours at an advance polling
station or, subject to subsection (3), the voting
hours on polling day.
Emergency — extending voting hours
(3) If voting at a polling station is interrupted
on polling day by an emergency and the Chief
Electoral Officer is satisfied that, if the voting
hours at the polling station are not extended,
a substantial number of electors will not be
able to vote, the Chief Electoral Officer shall
extend the voting hours at the polling station
for the period the Chief Electoral Officer considers
necessary to give those electors a reasonable
opportunity to vote, as long as the polling
station does not in any case
(a) close later than midnight on polling day; or
(b) remain open during polling day for a total of more than 12 hours.
Public education and information programs
18. (1) The Chief Electoral Officer may
implement public education and information
programs to make the referendum process better
known to the public, particularly to those
persons and groups most likely to experience
difficulties in exercising their democratic rights.
Communication with the public
(2) The Chief Electoral Officer may, using
any media or other means that he or she considers
appropriate, provide the public, both inside
and outside Canada, with information relating
to Canada's referendum process and the democratic
right to vote at a referendum.
Information outside Canada
(3) The Chief Electoral Officer may establish
programs to disseminate information outside
Canada concerning how to vote under Part 11.
Electronic voting process
18.1 The Chief Electoral Officer may carry
out studies on voting, including studies respecting
alternative voting means, and may devise and
test an electronic voting process for future use in
a general election, a by-election or a referendum.
Such a process may not be used for an official
vote without the prior approval of the committees
of the Senate and of the House of Commons
that normally consider electoral matters.
Assistant Chief Electoral Officer and Staff
19. Not applicable.
Casual and temporary staff
20. Any additional officers, clerks and
employees that the Chief Electoral Officer considers
necessary for his or her exercise of powers,
and discharge of duties, under this Act and
the Referendum Act related to the preparation
for, and the conduct of, a referendum may be
employed, in the manner authorized by law, on
a casual or temporary basis.
Delegation by Chief Electoral Officer
21. The Chief Electoral Officer may authorize
the Assistant Chief Electoral Officer or any
other officer on his or her staff to perform any
of the Chief Electoral Officer's functions under
this Act and the Referendum Act.