The Procedure and House Affairs committee met to study voting by Canadians abroad, hearing from Lori Turnbull, a professor at Dalhousie University, and Lucia Kovacikova, an assistant professor at Marquette University.
Lori Turnbull noted that special ballots require voters to write in a candidate's name and that the 2025 election saw some ballots not counted properly due to timing and judgment issues, with Elections Canada pledging fixes. She recommended that voters apply early to avoid mail disruptions and suggested a grace period after election day for ballot receipt, rather than requiring arrival by election day, to reduce costs and barriers.
Lucia Kovacikova highlighted that only 57,440 Canadians abroad voted in 2025, a fraction of the over four million diaspora, citing logistical constraints from Canada's sole use of postal voting, which caused her to pay $120 to courier her ballot. She recommended alternative voting methods like printable ballots, a centralized diaspora website for information, and more research on external voting, noting that the percentage of ballot requesters who actually voted fell from 69% in 2015 to 52% in 2025.
On proof of residence, Turnbull agreed with a Conservative member that requiring proof of last Canadian address for overseas voters could close a gap, but cautioned that long-term expats might struggle to provide it, while Kovacikova noted that data on how many voters have been abroad for decades is lacking. Both witnesses supported exploring electronic voting for all Canadians, with Turnbull citing Estonia as a model, though Kovacikova acknowledged the challenge of sudden elections in a parliamentary system.
On representation, Turnbull said tying overseas voters to their last riding is clear but fails for citizens who never lived in Canada, and she noted that creating a dedicated MP or senator for the diaspora would raise constitutional issues around representation by population and provincial allocation. Kovacikova suggested creative solutions like designated overseas MPs, as discussed in prior testimony.
The committee then debated a Conservative motion to study foreign interference, which proposed readopting a report from the previous Parliament on a contempt finding, holding meetings with the SITE task force, the critical election incident public protocol panel, and the Chief Electoral Officer, and studying the foreign influence transparency registry with the Minister of Public Safety. A Liberal member proposed a friendly amendment to remove "at least" from one witness invitation, and a researcher suggested adding an introductory note to clarify the report's adoption in the current Parliament.
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