Bloc Quebecois to challenge Terrebonne election result in court

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OTTAWA — After losing the federal riding of Terrebonne by a single vote, the Bloc Quebecois says it wants a court order to run the vote again because a mail-in vote from a Bloc supporter was returned to sender.

Elections Canada admitted this week a misprint on an envelope used to mail a special ballot from Terrebonne led to one Bloc voter’s mail-in ballot being returned to her.

Despite the error, Elections Canada said Wednesday the result of the judicial recount in the riding was final.

Today in Ottawa, Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said his party will contest the result in Quebec’s Superior Court because of the “irregularity.”

“Elections Canada, as an institution, does not have the jurisdiction to itself order a do-over of the election. But it has admitted the error raised by the citizen,” Blanchet told reporters in French, adding a judge would need to make such an order.

The Liberals initially won the riding but it flipped to the Bloc after the results were validated. A judicial recount later concluded the Liberals had won the riding by one vote.