Investigate Fair Elections Act, says P.E.I. MLA

The P.E.I. Department of Justice should deliver an opinion on the federal government's Fair Elections Act, says Liberal MLA Richard Brown.

The Fair Elections Act has been almost uniformly criticized, most recently by former auditor general Sheila Fraser, who said last week some of the provisions in the act are an affront to democracy.

Brown said there are questions regarding the bill that affect Prince Edward Islanders. The Justice Department should investigate, he said, and if it believes the bill would strip some Islanders of the right to vote then P.E.I. should join in the criticism.

"We want it to be fair and open for Prince Edward Islanders to vote," said Brown.

"I think we have a right here in order to defend our voters, even though they're voting for federal politicians."

The Fair Elections Act would only affect Islanders voting in a federal election. It would not change the rules for provincial elections.

On the floor of the legislature on Friday Premier Robert Ghiz said he'll ask if the Department of Justice is able to determine what effect the bill could have.

For mobile device users: Should the P.E.I. government comment on the Fair Elections Act?