The MP for South Shore – St. Margaret’s has taken on a new key role in the year leading up to the next federal election.
Bernadette Jordan is now the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould.
That means she stands in when the minister is unavailable and works on bi-partisan committees aimed at advancing legislation.
Jordan says they’re looking to pass Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act, this fall.
“We heard after 2015, from the chief electoral officer, he made around 100 recommendations on making it easier for people to vote because we did have some challenges under the previous elections act,” says Jordan.
Jordan says that will re-instate vouching at polling centres and make it easier for deployed Canadian forces members and Canadians living abroad to vote.
Vouching was disallowed by the Harper Government’s Fair Elections Act, which was passed before the last federal election.
The committee is also tasked with looking into cyber security and foreign interference in elections.
“We will be taking on cyber security, we will be taking on making sure there isn’t foreign interference in elections … so it’s an exciting time to be a part of DI, so I’m really looking forward to the new challenge.”
Jordan says given the evidence of interference in other parts of the world, looking into those issues before the 2019 election is important.
Last year Jordan was named chair of the commons standing committe on fisheries and oceans, a file near to her heart as an MP in Southwest Nova Scotia.
As a part of her new role, she’s had to step away from that committee, but she says she’s pleased with what the committee accomplished, including increasing funding to improve small craft harbours and passing the Oceans Protection Plan’s Abandoned Boats Program.
Parliament is back in session today.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
