The Parti Québécois (PQ) is calling for a judicial recount in the Champlain riding, in the Mauricie region, which it lost by 191 votes. A party official said on Tuesday that “Inaccuracies” were reportedly identified during the count on 5 October. According to the PQ, 80 ballot papers were missing from one ballot box and around 30 from another. On election night, the PQ candidate in Champlain, René Branchaud, was defeated by the Conservative candidate, Adriana Szalontai. Electoral law allows a recount if the margin between first and second place is less than one thousandth of the votes cast. This is not the case in Champlain, but the PQ believes it has strong grounds to convince the Court of Québec to grant its request. The party says it wants to shed full light on the situation in Champlain. Last Wednesday, the PQ also requested a judicial recount in the Vachon constituency, in Montérégie. In this Longueuil constituency, Liberal candidate Affine Lwalalika snatched victory from PQ candidate Stephan Fogaing by just ten votes. The Court of Québec confirmed on Tuesday that it had granted the PQ’s request. The judicial recount in Vachon will begin on 19 October and is expected to take three days. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 13, 2026.
