Bloc win confirmed by recount in riding of Trois-Rivières
CBC News | Posted: September 30, 2021 8:12 PM | Last Updated: October 8, 2021
It took 48 hours to declare the Bloc Québécois the winner in the tight race
Update: Elections Canada says the recount is complete in the federal riding of Trois-Rivières and that René Villemure, candidate for the Bloc Québécois, has won by 83 votes.
The federal riding of Trois-Rivières was officially declared a victory for the Bloc Québécois's René Villemure two days after the election — but the margin was only 83 votes.
Now, the Conservative Party of Canada is asking for a recount.
"After having consulted my campaign team, a legal team and members of the national campaign, the decision was made to request a judicial recount," the Conservative candidate, Yves Lévesque, said in a written statement today.
The Bloc's Villemure says he has confidence in the chief scrutineer and in the democratic process.
Officially, Villemure won with 29.5 per cent of the vote with 17,120 votes. Lévesque came second with 29.4 per cent and 17,027 votes, and the Liberal Martin Francoeur was third with 28.6 per cent and 16,560 votes.
Elections Canada's rules say that a recount is automatically granted when the margin of victory is less than one 1/1,000th of the number of eligible voters. In the case of Trois-Rivières, that would mean 58 votes.