Marc Mayrand, Chief Electoral Officer for Elections Canada met with committee members on Thursday, July 7, to talk about viable alternatives to the current electoral system. 

The committee is looking to replace the first-past-the-post system as well as looking at the viability of implementing mandatory voting.

The implementation of a new voting system would need to be in place well ahead of the next election, as the government has committed to having legislation in place by May 2017.

Recommendations have included a centralized counting place as well as electronic tabulation. Mayrand noted that the concern with the centralized counting place could take a significant amount of time given our geography, which would lead to delays in results. 

"It is undeniable that many Canadians would benefit from the introduction of online, or Internet voting," said Mayrand. "Internet voting could make the vote more accessible for various groups such as voters with mobility challenges, including seniors, those with visual impairments and Canadians abroad."

An area of concern for Mayrand, is the security level of online voting and maintaining the same level of trust and integrity in the voting system.

The final area of discussion centered around implementing mandatory voting. Currently, 23 countries have legislation providing for mandatory voting at the national level.

Mayrand chose not to take a position on mandatory voting, but encouraged the Committee to include compliance incentives or mechanisms in their final report.

Although the final decision of the new electoral system will be made by the government, Banff-Airdrie MP, Blake Richards is proposing a referendum to give the people a say.

Richards has added a tab on his website to have your say, to learn more go to Blake Richards website.