2015 Federal Election

[ookpik]

This is the list of registered voters stored by Elections Canada. It is compiled from many sources, the primary one being the information taken down on your T1 General by the Canada Revenue Agency every spring (if you tick the box that says "please share my name and address with Elections Canada").

So if we rely on the accuracy of this computerized list in general, why can't we also rely on it at advance polls? Presumably the ID check (name, address, photo, etc.) already acts as a double-check against errors on the source list.

This helps figure out a lot of things: number of people entering Canada, by what means, for how long, for what purpose, bringing what declarable items. To say nothing of how it's a useful visual token for the Border Security and Customs and Immigration folks (like a bording pass is for airline and security staff).

This information can be used in a lot of useful ways from determining which entry points are most used and are, thus, in most need of funding; to what areas of the country will be more likely to receive tourism funding to develop or protect the area; to what goods people are purchasing abroad showing trade deficiencies.

I'm not questioning the utility of this information. My point is that the cards are collected after people have cleared CBSA and are free to enter Canada. Once they've left the border entry point it's too late to go after them if discrepancies turn up in the form.

Since the cards are filled in by hand (sometimes a shaky hand writing on a wobbly tray table on a turbulent flight) it must be difficult to collect this information by any automated means. Are there "masses of asses" in Ottawa who go through millions of these forms every year transcribing data into some database?

As for "what goods people are purchasing abroad" since the cards now only ask for total dollar amounts, how would such information be collected? (The cards used to distinguish between alcohol, tobacco and all other goods but they haven't done that for many years now.)

Apologies for digressing from federal election registration forms. I was simply trying to point out yet another instance where some computerization would not only be more efficient but might also generate more useful information and/or better validate the information that's already in the system.