Although this method of becoming a registered party is as old as the Commission, this is the first time it has been used in 20 years. There were the usual number of late filers in this election. Nevertheless, the bulk of the returns have been approved and the number of deregistrations will be minimal. While the reductions are similar for all the offices of the Legislative Assembly, they are difficult for offices such as this which was previously streamlined. In 1988, the Commission had 16 staff positions.
Today there are eight.
Six of the original 16 positions were eliminated prior to 1993. Another was kept vacant to comply with the Social Contract. That vacant position plus another senior professional position were given up for the 1996 budget. Good management, training, and computer systems are enabling the Commission to function with its current level of staffing. However, all of the remaining eight positions are needed to maintain an adequate level of service and compliance review.