Cited, never consulted by Poilievre on election law overhaul, expert says

OTTAWA – The author of a report cited as justification for a crackdown on voter fraud says he was never consulted by the federal minister for democratic reform.

Harry Neufeld, former chief electoral officer for British Columbia, says he was waiting for a call from Pierre Poilievre, but it never came.

Poilievre has repeatedly quoted from a report Neufeld wrote for Elections Canada, which found serious irregularities in 42 per cent of cases where vouching was used during the 2011 election.

Sweeping changes Poilievre is proposing to the Canada Elections Act would eliminate the practice of allowing individuals to vouch for the identity of voters who don’t have adequate identification.

But Neufeld says Poilievre has been “selectively reading and quoting” from his report and ignoring his recommendations.

Neufeld says he fears eliminating vouching will disenfranchise more than 100,000 voters — and possibly even more, since Poilievre’s bill would do away with voter information cards as acceptable proof of residence.