Every vote counts in the Montreal-area federal riding of Terrebonne, and after the Supreme Court annulled the last results over a single uncounted ballot, it’s time for electors to head back to the polls on April 13 — potentially securing a majority for the Liberals.
Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste will again be facing off against the Bloc Québécois’s Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.
Elections Canada had, after a judicial recount, declared Auguste the winner over Sinclair-Desgagné by a single vote following the April 28 federal election.
But the Bloc candidate challenged the results after a supporter complained that she had tried to vote by mail using a special ballot that was never counted. Though she lost in Superior Court, she later won her case in Supreme Court on Feb. 13.
This upcoming byelection is one of three called for the same date across the country. As things stand, the Liberals have 169 MPs in the House of Commons. They need 172 to form a thin majority government, making these three races crucial for the party.
The Terrebonne riding rematch is on in byelection that could help Liberals win a majority
Candidates will be looking to replace Chrystia Freeland — who stepped down after accepting a voluntary role advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — and Bill Blair, who’s been appointed Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
That means the Toronto ridings of University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest, both longtime Liberal strongholds, are up for grabs along with Terrebonne, where the Bloc has long maintained the reins.
“This seat, since the Bloc Québécois was created, was never won by the Liberals. We will make sure it remains that way,” said Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet.
Sinclair-Desgagné said she is “very motivated” and will be out, as she has been, meeting with residents and hearing what they have to say. She said it’s important that people remember this is a byelection, not a general election.
Auguste, on the other hand, has been sitting in the House of Commons since the April election. She also said she is motivated and has taken root in the community.
Along with cost of living and what the federal government has been doing to help reduce costs, she said she has been talking to residents about bringing the Terrebonne riding to the decision table and “how I can best represent them that way.”
Besides the three empty seats, there are 169 Liberals, 141 Conservatives, 22 Bloc Québécois, seven New Democrats and one Green Party member in Parliament. While the Liberals and Bloc took the majority of votes last election with more than 23,300 votes each, the Conservative candidate came in third with nearly 11,000 votes.
So far, the Conservatives and NDP have yet to declare a candidate for the Terrebonne byelection. The Green Party will run Benjamin Rankin.
