Indian Band Election Regulations (C.R.C., c. 952)

Short Title

1 These Regulations may be cited as the Indian Band Election Regulations.

Interpretation

2 In these Regulations,

accelerated election

accelerated election means an election referred to in subsection 11.1(1); (élection accélérée)

Act

Act means the Indian Act; (Loi)

Assistant Deputy Minister

Assistant Deputy Minister means the Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Trust Services, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; (sous-ministre adjoint)

deputy electoral officer

deputy electoral officer means any person appointed by the electoral officer for the purposes of an election; (président du scrutin)

election

election means a band election held under the Act or a special election held under subsection 78(4) of the Act, but does not include an election for the chief of a band set out in Schedule II to the Indian Bands Council Elections Order; (élection)

elector

elector, in respect of an election of the chief or councillors of a band, means a person who is qualified under section 77 of the Act to vote in that election; (électeur)

electoral officer

electoral officer means the superintendent or the person appointed by the council of the band with the approval of the Minister; (président d’élection)

mail-in ballot

mail-in ballot means a ballot mailed or delivered in accordance with subsection 5(6.2); (bulletin de vote postal)

Minister

Minister means the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; (ministre)

registry number

registry number means the number assigned to a person registered under section 5 of the Act; (numéro de registre)

reserve

reserve, in respect of an election of chief or councillors of a band, means a reserve of that band; (réserve)

Superintendent

Superintendent means the Superintendent or senior field officer of the Indian Affairs Branch in charge of the agency and includes the Indian Affairs Branch in charge of the agency and includes the Indian Commissioner for British Columbia, all Regional Supervisors and any other officer acting under the instructions of the Minister or Assistant Deputy Minister; (surintendant)

voter declaration form

voter declaration form means a document that sets out, or provides for,

• (a) the name of an elector,

• (b) the band membership or registry number of the elector or, if the elector does not have a band membership or registry number, the date of birth of the elector, and

• (c) the name, address and telephone number of a witness to the signature of the elector. (formule de déclaration d’identité)

Definition of Residence for the Purpose of Determining the Eligibility of Voters

3 The following rules apply to the interpretation of the words “ordinarily resident” in respect of the residency of an elector on a reserve consisting of more than one electoral section:

• (a) subject to the other provisions of this section, the question as to where a person is or was ordinarily resident at any material time or during any material period shall be determined by reference to all the facts of the case;

• (b) the place of ordinary residence of a person is, generally, that place which has always been, or which he has adopted as, the place of his habitation or home, whereto, when away therefrom, he intends to return and, specifically, where a person usually sleeps in one place and has his meals or is employed in another place, the place of his ordinary residence is where that person sleeps;

• (c) a person can have one place of ordinary residence only, and he shall retain such place of ordinary residence until another is acquired;

• (d) temporary absence from a place of ordinary residence does not cause a loss or change of place of ordinary residence.

Application

3.1 Sections 4 to 11 apply to all elections other than accelerated elections.

Voters List

• 4 (1) At least 79 days before the day on which an election is to be held

  • (a) where the band holding the election has assumed control of its own membership under section 10 of the Act, the band shall provide the electoral officer with a list of the names of all electors; and

  • (b) where the Band List of the band holding the election is maintained in the Department under section 11 of the Act, the Registrar shall provide the electoral officer with a list of the names of all electors.

• (2) A voters list shall set out

  • (a) where the reserve consists of more than one electoral section,

    • (i) the names of band members eligible to vote for chief, in alphabetical order, and

    • (ii) the names of band members eligible to vote for councillors, in alphabetical order;

  • (b) where the reserve consists of one electoral section, the names of all electors, in alphabetical order; and

  • (c) the band membership or registry number of each elector or, if the elector does not have a band membership or registry number, the date of birth of the elector.

• (3) On request, the electoral officer or deputy electoral officer shall confirm whether the name of a person is on the voters list.

• (4) The electoral officer shall revise the voters list where it is demonstrated that

  • (a) the name of an elector has been omitted from the list;

  • (b) the name of an elector is incorrectly set out in the list; or

  • (c) the name of a person not qualified to vote is included in the list.

• (5) For the purposes of subsection (4),

  • (a) a person may demonstrate that the name of an elector has been omitted from, or incorrectly set out in, the voters list by presenting to the electoral officer evidence from the Registrar or from the band that the elector

    • (i) is on the Band List or is entitled to have his or her name entered on the Band List,

    • (ii) is at least 18 years of age, and

    • (iii) is qualified to vote at band elections; and

  • (b) a person may demonstrate that the name of a person not qualified to vote has been included in the voters list by presenting to the electoral officer evidence that that person

    • (i) is neither on the Band List nor entitled to have his or her name entered on the Band List,

    • (ii) is not at least 18 years of age, or

    • (iii) is not qualified to vote at band elections.

Addresses of Electors

• 4.1 (1) At least 79 days before the day on which an election is to be held, the band shall provide the electoral officer with the last known addresses, if any, of all electors who do not reside on the reserve.

• (2) A candidate for election as chief or councillor may obtain from the electoral officer a list of the names of electors and the addresses of any electors who have consented to have their addresses released to the candidates.

• (3) A document shall be considered to have been properly mailed under paragraphs 4.2(1)(b) and 4.7(a), subsection 5(4) and paragraphs 8(2)(b) and 11.1(2)(g) to electors who do not reside on the reserve if it was mailed or delivered to every elector who does not reside on the reserve and for whom an address was provided.

Nomination Meeting

• 4.2 (1) At least 30 days before the day on which a nomination meeting is to be held, the electoral officer shall

  • (a) post a notice of the nomination meeting and a list of the names of electors in at least one conspicuous place on the reserve; and

  • (b) mail a notice of the nomination meeting and a voter declaration form to every elector who does not reside on the reserve.

• (2) A notice of a nomination meeting shall include

  • (a) the date, time, duration and location of the nomination meeting;

  • (b) the date on which the election will be held and the location of each polling place;

  • (c) the name and phone number of the electoral officer;

  • (d) the statement that any voter may vote by mail-in ballot;

  • (e) a description of the manner in which an elector can nominate a candidate, or second the nomination of a candidate;

  • (f) the statement that, if the elector wants to receive information from candidates, the elector can agree to have his or her address released to the candidates.

• (3) The electoral officer shall record the names of electors to whom a notice of the nomination meeting was mailed, the addresses of those electors, and the date on which the notices were mailed.

• 4.3 (1) Subject to section 75 of the Act, an elector may nominate a candidate, or second the nomination of a candidate,

  • (a) by delivering or, subject to subsection (2), by mailing a written nomination and a completed, signed and witnessed voter declaration form to the electoral officer before the time set for the nomination meeting; or

  • (b) orally, at the nomination meeting.

• (2) Mailed nominations that are not received by the electoral officer before the time set for the nomination meeting are void.

• 4.4 (1) A nomination meeting for an election shall be held at least 42 days before the date of the election.

• (2) At the start of the nomination meeting, the electoral officer shall read aloud all written nominations and secondments that have been received by mail or delivered.

• (3) Where the same person receives two written nominations for the same office, the second nomination shall constitute a secondment of the first nomination.

• (4) A person present at a nomination meeting who is eligible to do so may second the nomination of any person nominated in writing.

• (5) A nomination meeting shall remain open for at least three hours.

• (6) At the end of the nomination meeting, the electoral officer shall

  • (a) if only one person has been nominated for election as chief, declare that person to be elected;

  • (b) if the number of persons nominated to serve as councillors in an electoral section does not exceed the number to be elected, declare those persons to be elected; and

  • (c) where more than the required number of persons are nominated for election as chief or councillors, announce that an election will be held on the day set out in the notice referred to in subsection 4.2(1).

4.5 As soon as is practicable after the nomination meeting, the electoral officer shall notify any nominated candidates who were not present at the meeting that they have been nominated.

Withdrawal of Candidates

• 4.6 (1) Subject to subsection (2), a candidate who has been nominated may withdraw his or her candidature at any time prior to the close of the polls by submitting to the electoral officer a written withdrawal of nomination, signed by the candidate in the presence of the electoral officer, a justice of the peace, a notary public or a commissioner for oaths.

• (2) Where a candidate nominated to be a councillor to represent an electoral section in a reserve consisting of more than one electoral section withdraws his or her candidature less than 48 hours before the time at which the polls open, or where any other candidate withdraws his or her candidature less than 37 days before the day on which the election is to be held, that candidate’s name shall remain on the ballot.

• (3) A candidate who dies before the close of the polls shall be considered to have withdrawn his or her candidature.