There was “an error on the label” of an envelope used to return special ballots in Quebec’s Terrebonne riding in last month’s federal election, and Elections Canada says that a major review of the system is underway. Despite this, it insists that the results are final. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said that he is broadening the review of the special ballot voting system to prevent future errors. He said Elections Canada is also aware of an incident in the Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam riding in British Columbia’s lower mainland. “We must recognize that, with the evolution of the demand for special ballots, we need to make sure our supporting infrastructure and controls also evolve,” said Perrault in a news release. “One of the strengths of our system is that it does evolve over time to meet the changing needs of Canadians. This review is an opportunity to determine what needs to be improved to continue serving Canadians.” He adds that a more detailed analysis was given to the candidates and parties. Elections Canada confirmed to Noovo Info that it would not hold a byelection in the riding. “We have no recourse in the law to re-run an election,” an Elections Canada spokesperson said. “It’s up to the party to launch a legal recourse.” Elections Canada said there has been an increased demand for special ballots in recent years. It says a comprehensive review will allow staff to improve the system before the next election. In Terrebonne, Elections Canada crowned Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste the winner, beating Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné by a single vote after a judicial recount. Shortly after, Emmanuelle Bossé told Noovo Info that her mail-in ballot was rejected due to an error by Elections Canada. She says she voted for the Bloc Québécois, but the envelope she was given by Elections Canada had a mistake in the postal code, and Canada Post returned her letter. As such, Sinclair-Desgagné said she is evaluating “all options” following the results. The result brought the Canadian Liberals to 170 seats in the House of Commons, two shy of the 172 needed for a majority government. The Bloc Québécois was reduced to 22 seats.
