Ont. riding joins 4 others in recounts
CBC News | Posted: October 22, 2008 3:26 PM | Last Updated: October 23, 2008
Tallies in Quebec, B.C., P.E.I. and another Ont. riding are also under review
A fifth riding, the Toronto-area constituency of Brampton West, will be subject to a recount of ballots cast in last week's federal election, Elections Canada said Wednesday, a day after a recount was announced for a Quebec riding.
Elections Canada announced the judicial recount in Brampton, Ont., after receiving an application filed by Conservative candidate Kyle Seeback, who lost the race to Liberal Andrew Kania by 223 votes.
Of the 54,266 ballots cast in the riding, 342 were rejected, according to Elections Canada records.
The recount will be conducted by an Ontario Superior Court judge. Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand told the Canadian Press the date and location will be announced as soon as information is available.
The recount in the Quebec riding of Brossard-La Prairie was announced Tuesday after Marcel Lussier of the Bloc Québécois was re-elected in the riding just south of Montreal by 102 votes over the Liberals' Alexandra Mendes.
Other recounts following the Oct. 14 general vote had already been ordered last week in:
- Vancouver South, B.C. (incumbent Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh won by 33 votes over Conservative Wai Young).
- Egmont, P.E.I. (Conservative Gail Shea beat Liberal Keith Milligan by 62 votes).
- Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont. (Conservative Peter Braid's margin of victory over Liberal Andrew Telegdi was reduced to 48 votes in a validation count).
As well, Elections Canada spokesman John Enright confirmed to CBCNews.ca on Wednesday that the riding of Esquimault-Juan de Fuca in B.C. riding may also come under review, but could not confirm if the recount would go ahead.
In that riding, Liberal Keith Martin beat Conservative candidate Troy DeSouza by 68 votes.
Recounts will be held for Brossard-La Prairie and Egmont on Thursday and for Vancouver South on Friday. The date for the Kitchener-Waterloo recount has not been confirmed.
2 types of recounts
Elections Canada says there are two types of recounts. An automatic recount is conducted in ridings where the margin of victory is less than 0.1 per cent of the votes cast. All recounts take place under the scrutiny of a judge.
A requested recount may also take place "where there is evidence that election officers have incorrectly counted, tabulated or rejected ballots," the agency's website says.
The request must be presented within four days of the validation of the results and must include an affidavit stating that the count was improperly carried out, that ballots were improperly rejected or that the returning officer incorrectly added up the results at the validation.
In addition, the applicant must deposit $250 with the court as security for the costs of the candidate who obtained the largest number of votes, the website says.