Procedure and House Affairs

The Procedure and House Affairs committee met to study barriers to voting for Canadians abroad, hearing from Timothy Veale, director of Grits Abroad, and Daniel Scuka, appearing as an individual.

Timothy Veale described nearly five million Canadians living abroad, with only about 57,000 votes cast in the last federal election, a 1.7% turnout. He identified three barriers: technical (mail-only voting with a 38-day campaign not designed for global postal systems), structural (no dedicated parliamentary seats for non-resident citizens, unlike France, Italy and Portugal), and political (lack of will to change). He recommended creating overseas seats in the House of Commons, enabling electronic ballot delivery and tracking, and allowing in-person voting at embassies, arguing that representation would boost turnout and strengthen Canada's democracy.

Daniel Scuka, a Canadian living in Germany, emphasized that the right to vote abroad, confirmed by the 2019 Supreme Court ruling, is not fully exercised due to the cumbersome mail-only process, which cost him $60 for tracked return postage. He noted that few candidates engage overseas voters and that tying voters to a last Canadian address can be problematic after decades abroad. He urged the committee to amend legislation to allow digital ballot issuance, in-person voting or drop-off at consulates, and prepaid tracked courier returns, and to require Elections Canada to inform candidates of overseas voter numbers and contact methods.

During questions, Scuka clarified that while the application form is simple, the full process—from receiving the ballot to returning it—discourages participation, and he supported Veale's call for dedicated overseas seats to eliminate attachment issues. Veale, asked about political barriers, said fixing technical issues alone might not raise turnout to levels seen in France, where representation drives participation. On taxation, Veale noted France taxes residency, not citizenship, and suggested Canada should explore fair tax models for non-residents, while Scuka argued that tying voting to taxation risks a poll tax, noting that low-income Canadians vote without paying income tax.

Veale, when asked about overseas riding distribution, proposed a geography-based model rather than strict population proportionality, with a fair but not overly ambitious number of seats, while Scuka endorsed this and suggested a dozen or so new seats could be created. On whether this requires a constitutional amendment, Veale said it is not a certainty, and Scuka was unsure. Veale recommended technical improvements like automatic registration when Canadians leave the country, better data sharing between CRA and Elections Canada, and digital accounts for voters to track ballots, which Scuka echoed, adding that Elections Canada should provide candidates with overseas voter contact information to kick-start engagement. No procedural debate, motions or votes occurred during this meeting.