A candidate from the Bloc Québécois announced on Monday her intention to seek a new election in the Terrebonne riding near Montreal by appealing to the Supreme Court. The riding was won by the federal Liberals in April with a narrow one-vote margin. Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné’s appeal to the highest court comes after a Superior Court judge recently dismissed her argument that irregularities should invalidate Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste’s victory.
Sinclair-Desgagné expressed in a Facebook statement in French that the Superior Court judgment contained factual errors and a legal interpretation that warranted an appeal. Following the general election on April 28, Auguste was initially declared the winner in Terrebonne but the result later shifted in favor of Sinclair-Desgagné after a validation process. However, a judicial recount on May 10 confirmed the Liberals’ win by one vote.
Sinclair-Desgagné initiated the appeal after a Bloc voter disclosed that her special ballot was rejected due to an address error on the envelope provided by Elections Canada. She argued that this error deprived at least one voter of their vote. Despite the rejection of this argument by Superior Court Justice Éric Dufour, Sinclair-Desgagné vowed to launch a crowdfunding campaign to support the legal costs of the appeal.
In her statement, Sinclair-Desgagné emphasized her commitment to upholding democracy and stated her determination to pursue the appeal to the Supreme Court, acknowledging the financial challenges involved but asserting her responsibility to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.