2019-2020 Annual Report: A busy year and 31 recommendations for improving Québec's election system

We have tabled our 2019-2020 Annual Management Report (in French only) in the Assemblée nationale and it is now available on our website. This year’s document compiles the 31 recommendations we have made in recent years for improving Québec’s election system. It also takes stock of the past financial year, which included a by-election in the electoral division of Jean-Talon and 283 municipal by-elections.

We led several major projects in 2019-2020:

• In February 2020, we took part in the special consultations on Bill 39, which establishes a new voting system. We presented a brief (in French only) outlining the impact of this voting system on election proceedings and electoral administration. We took the opportunity to share our thoughts on the bill and to make some recommendations.

• In February 2020, we presented a brief titled Learning about and experiencing democracy in schools. It recommends that education for democratic citizenship form part of the elementary and secondary course of study for Québec students. The document was produced as part of the consultation launched in January 2020 by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur to review the Ethics and religious culture program.

• In September 2019, we launched extensive consultations to understand the expectations and concerns of the Québec population regarding Internet voting, and to assess the social acceptability of this voting option. This process was undertaken as part of a study (in French only) on the appropriateness of introducing Internet voting in the Québec context. The study was tabled in the Assemblée nationale in June 2020.

• In November 2019, we participated in the special consultations on Bill 40. Passed in June 2020, this legislation changes how school boards are organized and governed, transforming them into school service centres.