The new justice minister says the move to modernize the Elections Act doesn’t necessarily mean there were problems with the recent vote.

John Hogan told reporters yesterday that the current legislation is 30 years old, before public internet, cellphones, and special ballots.

He says they’ll take as long as needed to review the act to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote, but he stopped short of acknowledging the review is a result of the recent election. Hogan says it doesn’t necessarily mean there were problems, adding there may or may not have been. He says that’ll be for the courts to decide.

NDP Leader Alison Coffin, who has launched two court actions alleging election irregularities, was caught off guard by the comments. She reiterated her contention that there were numerous contraventions of the Elections Act, noting the Justice Minister may not have had much time to review all the facts since being sworn in.

Coffin believes government is wary of investigations because they’re worried about what will be revealed.

The Opposition is pushing for the reinstatement of the all-party committee on democratic reform, which is aimed at revamping the Elections Act.

Meanwhile, Independent MHA Paul Lane is seeking an independent public review of everything related to the provincial election.