May 30, 2017
Electoral Reform
Committees of the House
Routine Proceedings
Discussion introduced by Nathan Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC).
Madam Speaker, I move that the third report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform presented on Thursday, December 1, 2016, be concurred in.
Above from Open Parliament https://openparliament.ca/debates/2017/5/30/nathan-cullen-1/
Later in the discussion, response (excerpt) by Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions
Another committee recommendation, number 4, advises against allowing online voting at this time. Again, we agree, and while Canadians who participated in mydemocracy.ca agreed that online voting would improve voter turnout, their support was contingent on the need for solid assurance that such a system would not be vulnerable to manipulation by hackers. Similar concerns were heard from the experts before the special committee.
…
I want to touch briefly on the Minister of Democratic Institutions‘ mandate to protect our electoral system from cyber-attacks. Working with her colleagues, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of National Defence, the minister has asked the Communications Security Establishment to analyze proactively the risks to our electoral system and to release a public report. Further, we will ask the CSE officer for advice for political parties on cybersecurity best practices.
Above from Open Parliament https://openparliament.ca/debates/2017/5/30/andy-fillmore-2/
I do need to mention that, despite the survey-question-driven assertion that “online voting would improve voter turnout”, the evidence is that online voting does not increase turnout.
Previously:
December 1, 2016 ERRE Electoral Reform Committee Recommends Against Online Voting
October 2, 2016 ERRE Presentation – Internet Voting: Making Elections Hackable – Dr. Barbara Simons
Paper Vote Canada 2 