The House of Commons is poised to pass contentious legislation Tuesday that will overhaul Canada’s election law — a move the governing Conservatives defend as sensible but which the opposition says is designed to keep the Tories from being caught cheating in the 2015 election. The so-called Fair Elections Act is certain to pass third reading in the Commons because Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Tories hold a majority in the chamber. MPs were expected to spend much of Monday voting on proposed amendments, including 45 from the government itself, after experts and the opposition heavily criticized the original bill. After the House passes it, the bill will go to the Senate, where the Conservatives also hold a majority, and where it is expected to be given a relatively quick review before being approved. But the political consequences for Harper could be long-lasting, as his critics continued on Monday to allege that the Tories are trying to rig the electoral system in their favour.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, whose party has fiercely opposed the bill, said that even though the government has amended the bill it once described as “terrific,” it’s important to remember what hasn’t changed.
“The Conservatives have cheated in every election that they have won,” Mulcair argued, adding that the Tories are refusing to give the Commissioner of Canada Elections the power to properly investigate misdeeds. “What they’re holding onto is the ability to continue to stonewall, to obfuscate, to use every trick in the book to hide their voter frauds.”
Full Article: Controversial election bill expected to pass Tuesday.