OTTAWA — Elections Canada says the result of a recount in the federal riding of Terrebonne is final, despite a misprint that led to one special ballot being returned to sender.
Elections Canada says there was an error on the envelope used to mail a special ballot from Terrebonne, a Quebec riding the Liberals won by a single vote after a recount.
Preliminary results indicated that the Liberals had won the riding, but the seat flipped temporarily to the Bloc Québécois after the results were validated.
After a recount that gave the seat back to the Liberals, however, CBC News reported that a Bloc voter saw her mail-in ballot returned to her.
The agency says an analysis confirmed that part of the return address on the envelope destined for a local Elections Canada office — the last three characters of the postal code — was incorrect.
Despite the error and questions about the possibility of another recount or a byelection, Elections Canada spokesperson Matthew McKenna said “the result of the recount is final.”
“The Canada Elections Act does not explicitly provide for the appeal of a judicial recount and Elections Canada is unaware of any appeals brought to a court following a recount,” said McKenna.
Elections Canada says that this is only case they know of in the recent election of an envelope containing a marked ballot being returned to a voter because of an incorrect address.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
