Conservative fundraising email suggests Liberals trying to 'tip the scales' in recounts
Canada Elections Act sets out when recounts happen and how they can proceed
A Conservative Party fundraising email alleges the Liberals are trying to "tip the scales" in riding recounts, language political watchers say is concerning as some Canadians say they don't trust the results of last week's election.
The email, sent to the Conservatives' mailing list on Wednesday, solicits donations to "help us hold the line" as recounts play out.
"The Liberals are working to flip just enough seats to edge closer to a majority. We can't let that happen," reads the email.
"If we don't act fast, we risk losing the gains we made on election night."
It concludes by saying "the Liberals are fighting hard to tip the scales."
Under Canadian law, recounts are automatically triggered when the difference in the number of votes received by the top-finishing candidates is 0.1 per cent or less of the total number votes cast. A candidate can also request a judicial recount under certain circumstances.
Elections Canada is the independent agency responsible for overseeing the federal election and recounts, following the rules set out in the Canada Elections Act.
The Conservative Party did not respond to a CBC News request to explain how they think the Liberals are tipping the scales.
Chris Tenove, assistant director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, said there are legitimate reasons for parties to help scrutinize results, especially in tight races, to make sure the counting is done correctly.
"On the other hand, some of the language around the Liberals trying to tip the scales was concerning," he said.
"In general that kind of ad that's suggesting there's an emergency that people need to respond to right now to get funding to political parties is troubling."
Tenove and other researchers at the University of British Columbia spent the election monitoring online spaces for narratives sowing distrust around the electoral process — from rumours people were able to vote multiple times to pencil marks being erased.
"There is a lot that is bubbling online and offline, but we can see it online, of these stories about our elections being unfair or rigged," he said.
Worry about election distrust surging on this side of the border comes in the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which gave rise to the "Stop the Steal" movement. That movement is based on the debunked conspiracy that former president Joe Biden's win was rigged. It fuelled the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill and continues to erode trust in democratic institutions.
"We're not at that place in Canada. But that's very concerning and we don't want to go that way," said Tenove.
He said hot-button issues are increasingly being used by political parties for fundraising.
"Really trying to make it us vs. them … that's a fundraising technique that is effective certainly for the party short term," he said.
"But I think in general it's got real long-term costs. It just leverages and exacerbates political polarization in order for the parties to make money."
Poll suggests 13% of Canadians don't trust results
A recent poll from Leger suggests the majority of Canadians' trust last week's results, but not by an overwhelming amount.
The poll suggests just under two-thirds of Canadians fully trust the results.
"I wouldn't suggest that I'm over the moon," said Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president for Central Canada, of that response. "It's a bit disconcerting."
According to the poll, 13 per cent of Canadians don't trust them "at all."
Liberals were the most likely to trust the results, while 25 per cent of Conservatives said they don't trust the results at all.
"That partisan gap is problematic in my view," said Enns. "I'm sure from maybe a fundraising perspective they sense some opportunity."
Enns said the language in the email is "disappointing" and a "slippery slope" but he was happy to see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre come out and accept Prime Minister Mark Carney's win in an election night concession speech.
He said all parties have a role in addressing declining trust in elections.
"It's important that they try to not waver or flirt with this sort of thing," he said.
The Leger poll sampled more than 1,500 Canadian adults from April 29 to May 1. The poll was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error.
A spokesperson for the Liberal Party said the Conservatives are trying to "sow doubt in the electoral process for a quick fundraising opportunity."
"As always, it's important that every vote is counted, and the Liberal campaign has full confidence in the avenues provided for in the Canada Elections Act for close results," said Jenna Ghassabeh.
Judicial review requested in Windsor riding
So far, two seats have flipped during the validation period — which is different from a recount.
In the wee hours Tuesday, it looked like the Liberals had taken the riding of Terrebonne, just north of Montreal. But during validation the Bloc Québécois candidate pulled ahead by 44 votes.
The unofficial results in the Ontario riding of Milton East-Halton Hills South showed a Conservative win, but after double-checking the numbers, Elections Canada reported the Liberal candidate won.
That brings the Liberals to 169 seats — three shy of a majority — and the Conservatives to 143.
The final tally in both ridings is so close it will trigger an official recount.
A candidate can also request a judicial recount if they believe there was an issue counting the votes. In those cases, the applicant must give notice to Elections Canada, file an affidavit before a judge arguing the formal vote count was carried out improperly and pay a $250 deposit with the court.
The failed Liberal candidate for the riding Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore requested a recount after losing by 77 votes in last week's federal election. The candidate, Irek Kusmierczyk, alleges ballots were wrongfully rejected.
Elections Canada spokesperson Matthew McKenna said — by law — only select people can be in the room for a recount besides the judge.
They include the returning officer, the candidates, the recount teams — each consisting of a handler, a recorder and one representative appointed by each candidate — legal counsel for each candidate, legal counsel for the chief electoral officer and two representatives per candidate who are not members of the recount team.
Canada's elections, which still run on paper ballots, are often praised for being safe from tampering.
That being said, errors do happen.
On Wednesday, Elections Canada reported that more than 800 special ballots cast by electors in 74 districts were mistakenly kept at the office of a returning officer in B.C.
The federal agency said an initial analysis shows that the outcomes in those districts were not affected by the mislaid ballots.
The agency said its initial analysis showed that the problem was caused by "human error" and "a failure to comply with the written procedures."
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said he's asked for a complete review.
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With files from Raffy boudjikanian and the Canadian Press