Latest news with #NathalieSinclairDesgagné
CBC
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Bloc Québécois files legal challenge of Terrebonne riding results after 1-vote loss
The Bloc Québécois says it has filed a Superior Court challenge to overturn the election results in the federal riding of Terrebonne after losing by one vote. In a news release, the party says there is doubt about who won the riding in the April 28 federal election because a mail-in vote from a Bloc supporter was returned to the sender. Elections Canada has admitted that a misprint on an envelope used to mail a special ballot from Terrebonne led to one Bloc voter's ballot being returned to her. Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste initially won the riding, but it flipped to Bloc candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné after the votes went through a validation process. A judicial recount completed on May 10, however, concluded the Liberals had won the riding by one vote. The Bloc says it is seeking a new election in the riding. "The right to vote is a fundamental right in a democracy, and we must ensure that it has been and will be fully respected," Sinclair-Desgagné said in the news release. "In light of Elections Canada's admission of error, it seems clear to us that, in order for democracy to be upheld, the election must be annulled and a new election held in Terrebonne. The voice of every resident of Terrebonne must be heard, and we will pursue this process to the very end."
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Bloc Québécois files legal challenge of Terrebonne riding results after one-vote loss
Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, May 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby TERREBONNE — The Bloc Québécois says it has filed a Superior Court challenge to overturn the election results in the federal riding of Terrebonne after losing by one vote. In a news release, the party says there is doubt about who won the riding in the April 28 federal election because a mail-in vote from a Bloc supporter was returned to the sender. Elections Canada has admitted that a misprint on an envelope used to mail a special ballot from Terrebonne led to one Bloc voter's ballot being returned to her. Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste initially won the riding, but it flipped to Bloc candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné after the votes went through a validation process. A judicial recount completed on May 10, however, concluded the Liberals had won the riding by one vote. The Bloc says it is seeking a new election in the riding. 'The right to vote is a fundamental right in a democracy, and we must ensure that it has been and will be fully respected,' Sinclair-Desgagné said in the news release. 'In light of Elections Canada's admission of error, it seems clear to us that, in order for democracy to be upheld, the election must be annulled and a new election held in Terrebonne. The voice of every resident of Terrebonne must be heard, and we will pursue this process to the very end.'
National Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
The Bloc Québécois wants the courts to trigger a new election in Terrebonne
OTTAWA – The Bloc Québécois says it will ask the Superior Court of Quebec to order a new election in the riding of Terrebonne, Que, 'as soon as possible,' following the Liberals' victory by a single vote. Article content Article content Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet announced Thursday that his party would challenge the result 'on the basis of a vote that was not taken into account, which constitutes an irregularity' in the electoral process. The challenge is not based on the judicial recount that took place. Article content Article content 'The judge said that we lost by one vote; the vote that would have created a tie appeared in the hand of a citizen. There is therefore a difficult-to-contest irregularity that, according to the law, requires that the election be rerun,' Blanchet told reporters on Parliament hill. Article content Article content Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste was declared the winner following a judicial recount on May 10, bringing the number of seats won by the Liberal Party of Canada to 170, two shy of a majority. The incumbent, Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair Desgagné, previously thought she had won the riding by dozens of votes. Article content However, a Terrebonne voter came forward a few days after the results were confirmed, claiming she had voted for the Bloc Québécois by mail, but that her ballot had never been cast. Article content This vote would have placed the Liberals and the Bloc in a tie, potentially leading to a byelection to determine the winner. Article content Emmanuelle Bossé stated in several media interviews that her special ballot was returned to her by Canada Post a few days after the April 28 election. Article content Elections Canada does not have the authority to order a rerun of the election, but admitted the error raised by Ms. Bossé. Article content Article content According to Elections Canada, the error was in the last three characters of the postal code of the office's address, although, it declared the results final. Article content 'To date, only one case has come to our attention where an envelope containing a marked ballot was returned to a voter because of an incorrect address,' said Matthew Mckenna, a spokesperson for Elections Canada. Article content In an email exchange with National Post, McKenna also said the local office issued 115 special ballots for local voting by mail, and that according to their database, five ballots were received late at the local office and that the return envelope contained an error in the postal code. Article content 'There is no information as to whether the delay was due to the incorrect postal code. We note that voters signed the declaration late in the election period,' McKenna said. Article content Meanwhile, 85 of these ballots were returned on time and counted, 16 ballots, including Bossé's, were not returned to the local office and 9 other electors gave up voting by mail and voted in person in the electoral district. Article content Sinclair Desgagné told reporters on Thursday that this whole experience has been a 'roller coaster' emotionally but that it's also an 'issue that goes beyond the outcome of a single party.'
CBC
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'It's been very emotional,' says Bloc Terrebonne candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné
After being declared the winner in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, then being told by Elections Canada she lost by one vote, candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné said it's been a roller-coaster of emotion.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Bloc member who lost by 1 vote considers ‘all options' after report of ballot problem
A Terrebonne woman's mail-in ballot was rejected due to an error by Elections Canada, leading the Liberal Party of Canada to win the riding by a single vote. The Bloc Québécois candidate for the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne says she's considering her options after a judicial recount that saw her lose by a single vote. 'Following a judicial recount that caused a vote reversal as spectacular as unexpected, I owe it to myself to evaluate all the options before us,' Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné wrote on Facebook on Monday, adding, 'I'll keep you updated on the next steps.' Sinclair-Desgagné's statement comes as Elections Canada investigates a possible error involving an uncounted mail-in ballot from a Bloc voter in the riding. Voter Emmanuelle Bossé told Noovo Info that she mailed in her ballot in early April using an addressed envelope provided by Elections Canada, but it was returned to her as undeliverable. She told the outlets that she was voting for the Bloc Québécois. Elections Canada confirmed in an email that an error had occurred, adding that it was 'still working to gather the facts' about what happened. 'We can confirm that there appears to be an error with the return address printed on this elector's return envelope,' the agency wrote late Monday. 'Specifically, part of the postal code was wrong.' Liberal Tatiana Auguste was declared the winner over Sinclair-Desgagné by a one-vote margin after a judicial recount, in an election that returned the Liberals to power with a minority government on April 28. Both parties declined to comment, and Sinclair-Desgagné's statement did not specifically mention the uncounted ballot. Auguste was initially projected to win the riding by 35 votes after the election, but Sinclair-Desgagné, who was first elected in 2021, moved ahead by 44 votes following the required postelection validation process. The win was returned to Auguste on Saturday following the judicial recount, with Auguste receiving 23,352 votes and Sinclair-Desgagné receiving 23,351. The final result brought the Liberals to 170 seats in the House of Commons, two shy of the 172 needed for a majority government. The Bloc seat count fell to 22. Other judicial recounts are ongoing. READ MORE: Recount sees Liberals take Quebec riding of Terrebonne by single vote Julie Simmons, an associate professor of political science at the University of Guelph, described the one-vote margin as 'exceptionally unusual.' While the judicial recount represents the official final vote tally, she said there is still a process by which candidates or voters can apply to contest the election in court. During a contested election proceeding, a judge can rule on the eligibility of candidates 'or whether there were any other irregularities, fraud, or corrupt or illegal practices that affected the result of the election,' according to Elections Canada's website. While she's not a legal expert, Simmons said there could be a 'compelling' argument to be made for a contestation in this case because the vote was so close. A successful challenge would result in a byelection, she said. Heidi Tworek, the director of the centre for the study of democratic institutions at the University of British Columbia, said the 'twists and turns' in Terrebonne show there are processes in place to ensure the vote result is as accurate and transparent as possible. 'I think the key is A, this is extremely uncommon, and B, despite it being extremely uncommon there are lots of mechanisms to ensure the vote is free and fair,' she said. While 'all systems and all people' can occasionally make mistakes, 'the question is whether those are admitted, rectified, and you have processes in place to try and prevent them as much as you possibly can, and try to learn from them so the next time you prevent any of those kind of mistakes form happening,' she said. Richard Lacas, a resident of Terrebonne who voted in the election, said a byelection should be held to clarify the vote results. 'I think all of us in the riding will be left with a doubt if ever it isn't redone,' he said. 'We will have a doubt on whether there were others (whose votes weren't counted).' READ MORE: Double digit gains in Quebec help Liberals win minority government at expense of the Bloc Lacas, a staunch sovereigntist, voted Liberal for the first time in April because he believed the party was best-placed to stand up to the United States during the ongoing trade war. If a byelection were held, he said he'd go back to voting Bloc Québécois, as he has in previous elections, because a Liberal victory wouldn't be enough to secure a majority. 'I wanted the Liberal party to get in, and it's what happened, so after that I'd come back to my old love and return to the Bloc,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025.
