Press Releases and Media Advisories

Chief Electoral Officer Thanks Election Workers

OTTAWA, Thursday, January 26, 2006 — The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Jean‑Pierre Kingsley, paid tribute today to the many thousands of Canadians who served their fellow Canadians in conducting Canada's 39th general election.

"I wish to offer my thanks and gratitude to the electoral staff who honoured their undertaking and who carried out their extremely varied duties with great efficiency despite the lengthy 55‑day election calendar," stated Mr. Kingsley.

Since the November 29, 2005, start of the election period, those duties included setting up fully operational offices in the ridings, training staff, revising the preliminary lists of electors, printing and distributing voter information cards, confirming the candidates, administering the special ballot, and planning for and conducting the vote at the advance and regular polls and in institutions such as hospitals, retirement homes and detention centres.

The returning officers trained some 190,000 election workers, including central poll supervisors, deputy returning officers, poll clerks, special ballot coordinators, registration officers and information officers.

Mr. Kingsley also thanked the Ottawa staff of Elections Canada for their many months of work in getting ready for the election on January 23. Their duties included maintaining the National Register of Electors, training and supporting the returning officers and registering the political parties. Their work also included ensuring the preparation and distribution of the huge volume of election supplies, information products and advertisements as well as improving the Elections Canada Web site and the Voter Information Service available through the Web site and 1-800 phone lines.

"The process of conducting a general election in Canada involves one of the largest number of adult Canadians of any civic exercise in the country in the shortest period of time," Mr. Kingsley said. "More than 14 million Canadians cast their ballots in the 2006 general election, which speaks volumes about the great dedication of the staff of the polling stations, returning offices and Elections Canada in Ottawa," stated Mr. Kingsley. "I congratulate them all for a job well done."

Elections Canada is an independent body set up by Parliament.

Information:
Elections Canada Media Relations
1 877 877-9515
or at www.elections.ca