ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS — Human Rights

Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights be authorized to examine and report on the means of increasing democratic inclusion and strengthening democratic resilience, with attention to the possible expansion of the right to vote under section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states: “Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.”;

That, in particular, the committee examine:

1.the constitutional and legislative evolution of the right to vote in Canada, and the alignment of current requirements with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canada’s international human rights obligations, within the context of potential franchise expansion;

2.the ways of removing barriers to democratic inclusion faced by First Nations, Metis and Inuit, Black, gender-diverse, racialized, and other marginalized youth, and the potential impact of their inclusion on democracy in Canada;

3.the information available on voting or other participatory decision-making arrangements in Canada and other jurisdictions that include members younger than 18;

4.the administrative and operational readiness of federal election machinery to support the possible enfranchisement of younger citizens, including voter registration and information systems, the National Register of Electors and the National Register of Future Electors; and

5.the evidence on strategies to foster lifelong democratic participation, including the integration of effective civic literacy within education systems and digital environments;

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate, if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate; and

That the committee submit its final report on this study to the Senate no later than March 31, 2027, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report.