Judge tosses Etobicoke Centre federal election result

[Locutus]

TORONTO - A judge has thrown out Conservative MP Ted Opitz's 2011 election win in Etobicoke Centre after a challenge by Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj.


If the Ontario Court of Justice ruling delivered Friday is appealed it will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.


The case represents the first time a court has been required to rule on a contested election using Part 20 of the Canada Elections Act, which was added by Parliament in 2000. It stipulates that an elector or candidate may seek to invalidate an election in a riding if “there were irregularities, fraud, corrupt or illegal practices that affected the results of the election.”


“It will impact on how elections are run in this country from this day forward,” Wrzesnewskyj's lawyer, Gavin Tighe, said when the suit was launched last month. “If elections aren’t conducted fairly, it’s hard to have any confidence in the results.”


The lawyer maintained at least 181 voters were improperly allowed to cast ballots in Etobicoke Centre, in some cases possibly more than once. Wrzesnewskyj lost by just 26 votes to Conservative Ted Opitz.


Judge tosses Etobicoke Centre federal election result | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

 

[WLDB]

This will be interesting.

 

[CDNBear]

This will be interesting.

I agree. Instead of appealing the ruling, they should just go back to the polls.

 

[Walter]

I agree. Instead of appealing the ruling, they should just go back to the polls.

An appeal is cheaper.

 

[WLDB]

An appeal is cheaper.

Not if the ruling is upheld.

 

[Walter]

When did this lawsuit start?

 

[wallyj]

" Justice Thomas Lederer set aside 79 ballots in his decision Friday in Toronto. '

Wait a minute. These ballots were cast for ,I assume,different parties.

If the percentages of votes on these ballots were along the same lines as the other votes,the election should stand.

There may be some serious wrong being done here by Elections Canada.

We should be told the number of ballots that were set aside for each party. If 30 of those votes were for the Liberal candidate,the election should stand. Do the math.

 

[lone wolf]

I smell a make-work project for lawyers....

 

[Tonington]

We should be told the number of ballots that were set aside for each party. If 30 of those votes were for the Liberal candidate,the election should stand. Do the math.

What math? There is nothing on the ballot to identify who made that vote. In Canada, your vote is secret.

The decision is here:http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/357587-wrzesnewskyj-v-opitz-et-al-decision.html

 

[damngrumpy]

This is a progressive step in the process. Especially if the robocalls come to the courts
in the future. Remember the in/out money in riding's a couple of elections back?
No matter who it is, or what party they are with, fraud and illegal activity should not be
passed over, this may well ensure that elections are conducted fairly.

 

[JLM]

This is a progressive step in the process. Especially if the robocalls come to the courts
in the future. Remember the in/out money in riding's a couple of elections back?
No matter who it is, or what party they are with, fraud and illegal activity should not be
passed over, this may well ensure that elections are conducted fairly.

Sure miss them good old days when they had kegs of beer at the polling stations. LOL

 

[taxslave]

Sure miss them good old days when they had kegs of beer at the polling stations. LOL

It was also much easier when your union boss just told you who to vote for. Saved much stress prior to beer drinking.

 

[Nuggler]

It was also much easier when your union boss just told you who to vote for. Saved much stress prior to beer drinking.

...........Or when your non union boss told you if you didn't vote for "his" party you would be fired.