Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand: Mr. Mayrand, the Commissioner of Canada Elections and the author of a key Elections Canada report last year all say they weren’t consulted on the Fair Elections Act.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Canada's chief electoral officer is confident those who want to vote will be able to do so on Oct. 19, and his agency has conducted special outreach with aboriginal communities.
One of the principal concerns with the Conservative government's new Fair Elections Act is that voter identification requirements, which insist on addresses, will disproportionately disqualify aboriginals on crowded reserves.
The new law also ends the practise of vouching, in which a properly identified voter can vouch for the identity of someone lacking complete ID.
Marc Mayrand says the agency has published election information in 15 different aboriginal languages in order for them to know what the requirements are for casting a ballot.
In addition, he says Elections Canada has made arrangements to facilitate proof of address by getting individual bands to issue letters to members that attest to where they live.
Many aboriginal groups opposed the Harper government's changes, but Conservatives insist that anyone casting a ballot ought to show proper identification.