Liberal minority back up to 169 after Elections Canada validates close Ontario race

In a surprising turn of events, Elections Canada’s validation process has once again changed the winner of a closely contested riding, this time from the Conservatives to the Liberals. The preliminary results from election night had shown Conservative Parm Gill as the winner of the redrawn riding of Milton East-Halton Hills South by 298 votes. However, a double-check of the numbers by Elections Canada now reveals that Liberal Kristina Tesser Derksen actually won the riding by a slim margin of 29 votes.

This latest riding flip has brought the Liberals back up to 169 seats, while the Conservatives have dropped to 143. Just recently, the Liberals lost a riding in Montreal after a similar validation process revealed that the Bloc Québécois had emerged victorious.

It’s important to note that the validation process conducted by Elections Canada is distinct from an official recount. This process serves as a means to verify the unofficial results reported on election night. Local returning officers meticulously review the results from each polling station to rectify any potential errors that may have occurred during the initial reporting.

Even after the validation process, both Milton East-Halton Hills South and Terrebonne’s final vote counts are so close that they will undergo an official recount. Official recounts are overseen by a judge and are automatically triggered if a candidate wins by less than 0.1% of the overall vote.

History has shown that official recounts can indeed alter the outcome of an election. In 2021, a similar situation occurred in the riding of Châteauguay-Lacolle, where the Bloc candidate was initially declared the winner, only for the Liberals to emerge victorious after an official recount two weeks later.

Another riding that will undergo an official recount is Terra Nova-The Peninsulas in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the Liberal candidate narrowly defeated the Conservative by a mere 12 votes.

These developments underscore the meticulous nature of the electoral process and the importance of ensuring that every vote is accurately counted. As the dust settles on these closely contested ridings, the political landscape continues to shift, highlighting the significance of each and every vote cast.