The Federal opposition is raising alarm bells over a new Conservative bill.
Jean Crowder is the Aboriginal Affairs critic for the NDP.
She says Bill C-23, the Fair Elections Act, contains provisions in it that could discourage and prevent some Aboriginal people from voting on election day.
She says one of the provisions in the new bill would prevent community residents from vouching for each other’s identity at the ballot box:
“What that means is people who may not have the required ID may show up at the polls and nobody else will be able to say yes this is who they say they are, and we believe that’s going to seriously impact on First Nations ability to vote.”
She says Elections Canada will also no longer be able to run advertising campaigns outside the regular voting period, so it can explain things like rules and where people can find their polling station.