A candidate from the Bloc Québécois announced on Monday her intention to appeal to the Supreme Court for a new election in the Terrebonne riding in Montreal. This move comes after a narrow victory was claimed by the federal Liberals in April, winning by just one vote.
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné is taking her case to the highest court in Canada following a recent decision by a Superior Court judge that dismissed her argument to invalidate the victory of Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste due to alleged irregularities.
In a statement posted in French on Facebook, Sinclair-Desgagné criticized the Superior Court judgment, claiming factual errors and an incorrect interpretation of the law that warrant an appeal. The initial election results declared Auguste as the winner, but after a validation process, Sinclair-Desgagné was briefly shown as the victor before a judicial recount confirmed the Liberals’ one-vote lead.
Sinclair-Desgagné’s appeal stems from a Bloc voter’s revelation that her special ballot was rejected due to an address error on the envelope provided by Elections Canada. She argued that this error, which prevented the voter’s ballot from being counted, was a significant irregularity according to her statement.
Superior Court Justice Éric Dufour, however, rejected this argument, stating that the postal code mistake did not meet the definition of an irregularity under federal electoral law. The judge described it as a common human error that can occur unintentionally during general elections.
In response, Sinclair-Desgagné expressed her determination to seek crowdfunding support to cover the legal expenses of the appeal, emphasizing her commitment to upholding democratic principles despite the financial challenges involved.
