Pierre Reid, Chief Electoral Officer and Chair of Québec’s Commission de la représentation électorale, recently took part in the special consultations and public hearings on Bill 39, An Act to establish a new electoral system, in order to share his reflections and recommendations on the proposed legislation.
During his speech, Mr. Reid made observations on various aspects of Bill 39, including the issue of gender parity. He called on Québec’s political parties to recruit candidates with a variety of backgrounds with a view to enhancing public debates and encouraging more people to vote.
Mr. Reid also announced plans to conduct a fact-based, non-partisan information campaign on both the current electoral system and the new one proposed during the referendum campaign. In his view, it is important that voters have access to all necessary information. It might boost voter turnout.
In addition, Mr. Reid put forward various recommendations on Bill 39, which are included in the brief submitted to the National Assembly (consultable online here [in French only]). These recommendations focus on various aspects of the electoral system reform, as well as on the proposed referendum framework and the overall electoral process.
For further information
Please refer to the press release (in French only) posted on Élections Québec’s website.
