logo
Inside Canada's election recount process: What voters should know

Inside Canada's election recount process: What voters should know

Toronto Star14-05-2025

One vote.
That's what ultimately separated the Liberals from the Bloc Québécois in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne after a judicial recount.
On election night, April 28, unofficial results showed Liberal Tatiana Auguste defeating Bloc incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné by 35 votes. But after a required postelection validation process, Sinclair-Desgagné took the lead by 44 votes — triggering an automatic judicial recount due to the narrow margin.
The recount process wrapped up on May 10, confirming Auguste as the winner.
Her victory gave the Liberals 170 seats in the House of Commons — just two short of the 172 needed for a majority government — and ended weeks of back-and-forth in the riding.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
However, what may have looked like results swinging between the two candidates is actually evidence of a 'rigorous' democratic process, said Randy Besco, a political science professor at the University of Toronto.
'Sometimes people describe this as the result changing — that's not correct,' he said. 'The result is the result. There's only one. It's just that now we know for sure what the correct one is.'
Following the final result in Terrebonne, three more judicial recounts are underway. One began Monday in Newfoundland and Labrador's Terra Nova—The Peninsulas riding. Another is in progress in Ontario's Milton East—Halton Hills South. A third, in Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, is scheduled to begin May 20.
Federal Politics
Live chat: The Conservative party, Carney's cabinet and politics in 2025
Star staff
Here's what to know about the official recount process.
How are recounts triggered?
In the days following an election, Elections Canada officials validate the preliminary results by checking if the correct number of ballots were counted and reported accurately. This validation takes place in every riding, no matter how close the race is.
Errors can be made in the initial reporting, Elections Canada said in an email, because results are phoned in to the returning officer.
'The staff at the returning officer's office could mishear one of the results being phoned in or make a typo when entering the reported result into the system,' Matthew McKenna, a spokesperson for Elections Canada said. 'The validation process exists because these sorts of errors can happen.'
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
If the margin between the top two candidates is less than one one-thousandth of all valid votes, a judicial recount is automatically triggered. However, a judicial recount can also be requested by any voter — typically by the losing candidate.
In this case, they must first notify the returning officer in writing, then file a request with a judge. They then also need to provide evidence supporting their claim and pay a $250 deposit.
Irek Kusmierczyk, the Liberal incumbent in Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, lost to his Conservative rival by just 77 votes in the federal election, but was granted a judicial recount after submitting a request.
'The bar is fairly low,' Besco said. 'But judges don't always agree.'
How does the 'rigorous' process work?
A recount can be done in three ways: by the judge totalling up the reported results from each voting location, recounting only properly marked ballots or recounting all ballots, including rejected, spoiled or unused ones. The judge then totals the ballots cast for each candidate, depending on the chosen procedure.
A ballot is spoiled if it's damaged or filled out incorrectly and replaced before being cast. A rejected ballot is submitted but not counted because it's improperly marked or the voter's intent is unclear.
The judge oversees the recount, though Besco said it's mostly Elections Canada staff counting the tens of thousands of ballots.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'They might have like ten or twenty teams of people with the ballots out on tables in a big room, and they just count them off,' he said.
At any point, the judge can end the recount if the person who requested it submits a written withdrawal — unless it's an automatic recount, which must proceed.
As Elections Canada staff tear off part of each ballot during the election to collect a receipt, they know how many votes were cast. During a recount, they ensure the number of ballots matches the original count.
'What they're looking for usually is math errors,' Besco said. 'They have to make sure they actually haven't missed any.'
Another key part of a recount, Besco said, is reviewing whether ballots were marked correctly. Recount teams examine any ballots rejected or spoiled on election night, and everyone present — returning officer, candidates, two candidate reps not on the recount team, legal counsel for the candidates and the chief electoral officer — must unanimously agree for one to be counted.
If they can't agree, the judge — who can hear reasoning from both parties — makes the final decision on whether the ballot should count.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'There is a little bit of judgment there,' Besco said. 'That's why sometimes the number of votes is slightly different.'
How often do recounts happen?
Judicial recounts aren't 'unusual,' Besco said — a few will typically occur after every federal election.
In 2021, there were two recounts. One flipped the result in Châteauguay–Lacolle to the Liberals, while the other confirmed the Bloc Québécois win in Trois-Rivières. Two additional recounts were requested but later withdrawn.
'Two-to-four recounts is pretty standard,' Besco said. 'If you keep rolling a dice, eventually you're going to get a one, and eventually we're going to get a very close riding.'
Why are recounts important?
For Besco, recounts are a crucial device to ensure the 'right winner.'
'We need to be sure that the people who are elected are actually the people that won,' he said. 'It's also important that everybody knows and sees that it is correct.'
Despite the Liberals inching closer to a majority, they'll be shy of 172 seats if they win all remaining recounts. Two of the seats are already Liberal-held, with Kusmierczyk the only candidate trying to flip one.
Still, Besco said the thorough, robust and, sometimes, drawn-out process is key to maintaining trust in the election's outcome.
'I think Canadians have a lot of faith in our elections,' he said, 'and that's a great thing about Canada.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers
Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers

Vancouver Sun

time38 minutes ago

  • Vancouver Sun

Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers

OTTAWA — Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon rejected the Bloc Québécois' proposal to split Bill C-5 in two parts, so that the sections on lifting internal trade barriers and the fast-tracking of major projects can be studied separately. Bloc House Leader Christine Normandin said earlier this week it made little sense that the bill, in its current form, would be sent to the House of Commons committee on transport as it falls under the mandate of Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland. Normandin instead suggested dividing the bill to study the portions on free trade and labour mobility in one committee and the fast-tracking of major projects in the national interest in another. She said the free trade portion is 'rather consensual' and could go 'a bit faster,' whereas the major projects portion would warrant more scrutiny. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. On Wednesday, MacKinnon offered a resounding 'no' to the Bloc's proposition. 'This is a bill that responds to economic conditions caused by the tariff war, among other things, and mobilizes premiers, mobilizes Canadians from coast to coast to coast behind projects of national significance,' he said. 'These projects have a certain urgency, as do interprovincial trade barriers that must fall,' he added. 'This is a very comprehensive bill. We understand that it's going to be debated, but it's something that we solicited and secured a mandate for.' Prime Minister Mark Carney said his intention is to see the bill passed before June 20 , when the House of Commons rises and MPs return to their ridings for the summer. 'It is a top priority for this government, and we will do everything to get it passed before the summer,' he said after C-5 was tabled on Friday. 'And if Parliament needs to sit longer, it should sit longer in order to get it passed. That's what Canadians expect.' MacKinnon said to date there is no consensus from other parties to sit into the summer. The part of the bill on lifting internal trade barriers would allow a good or service that meets provincial or territorial rules to have met federal requirements but also make it easier for workers to get a federal licence by recognizing provincial or territorial work authorizations. The second part, which is a bit more contentious, seeks to get projects deemed in the national interest — such as highways, pipelines, mines and nuclear facilities — built faster by having only one environmental assessment done and respecting federal conditions. On Wednesday, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) once more expressed concern the Liberals were 'ramming' through this bill without giving First Nations time to properly study the text. 'I keep hearing that they want to push through this legislation right to the end of this month, and I think that that's the wrong way to go,' said AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak during a press conference on Parliament Hill. Woodhouse Nepinak is expected to meet with Carney in July, presumably after the bill may have passed. She urged the government to slow down the process to allow meaningful consultation and study to occur with all the parties involved, including First Nations. 'Look, take the summer, take the time to listen to First Nations, take the time to listen to Canadians. And I think that'll make a more united country,' she said. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, on the other hand, is favourable to the fast-tracking of major projects like pipelines and dismissed the need for a consensus to move ahead. 'If you wait till everybody agrees on everything, nothing will happen. You're never going to get everybody to agree on every single project,' he told reporters on Monday. 'If the prime minister says he's going to wait until everyone agrees, then nothing will get done, which is what has been happening for the last decade,' he added. Woodhouse Nepinak said national chiefs before her were ignored in discussions on major projects, which caused civil unrest and lawsuits that slowed down the projects. 'Isn't it better to talk through things rather than always being in litigation?' she asked. 'It seems like First Nations always need to litigate, and then we get… results later.' 'Does Canada want to change that or not?' National Post calevesque@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .

Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers
Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers

Edmonton Journal

time41 minutes ago

  • Edmonton Journal

Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers

Article content OTTAWA — Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon rejected the Bloc Québécois' proposal to split Bill C-5 in two parts, so that the sections on lifting internal trade barriers and the fast-tracking of major projects can be studied separately. Bloc House Leader Christine Normandin said earlier this week it made little sense that the bill, in its current form, would be sent to the House of Commons committee on transport as it falls under the mandate of Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland.

Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers
Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers

Ottawa Citizen

timean hour ago

  • Ottawa Citizen

Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers

OTTAWA — Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon rejected the Bloc Québécois' proposal to split Bill C-5 in two parts, so that the sections on lifting internal trade barriers and the fast-tracking of major projects can be studied separately. Article content Bloc House Leader Christine Normandin said earlier this week it made little sense that the bill, in its current form, would be sent to the House of Commons committee on transport as it falls under the mandate of Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland. Article content Article content Article content Normandin instead suggested dividing the bill to study the portions on free trade and labour mobility in one committee and the fast-tracking of major projects in the national interest in another. She said the free trade portion is 'rather consensual' and could go 'a bit faster,' whereas the major projects portion would warrant more scrutiny. Article content Article content On Wednesday, MacKinnon offered a resounding 'no' to the Bloc's proposition. Article content 'This is a bill that responds to economic conditions caused by the tariff war, among other things, and mobilizes premiers, mobilizes Canadians from coast to coast to coast behind projects of national significance,' he said. Article content 'These projects have a certain urgency, as do interprovincial trade barriers that must fall,' he added. 'This is a very comprehensive bill. We understand that it's going to be debated, but it's something that we solicited and secured a mandate for.' Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney said his intention is to see the bill passed before June 20, when the House of Commons rises and MPs return to their ridings for the summer. Article content Article content 'It is a top priority for this government, and we will do everything to get it passed before the summer,' he said after C-5 was tabled on Friday. 'And if Parliament needs to sit longer, it should sit longer in order to get it passed. That's what Canadians expect.' Article content MacKinnon said to date there is no consensus from other parties to sit into the summer. Article content The part of the bill on lifting internal trade barriers would allow a good or service that meets provincial or territorial rules to have met federal requirements but also make it easier for workers to get a federal licence by recognizing provincial or territorial work authorizations. Article content The second part, which is a bit more contentious, seeks to get projects deemed in the national interest — such as highways, pipelines, mines and nuclear facilities — built faster by having only one environmental assessment done and respecting federal conditions.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store