Ensemble asks for 4 recounts
Ensemble Montréal is asking for four recounts in the municipal election, claiming there were errors in the counts of Côte-des-Neiges–NDG and Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, also La Pointe-aux-Prairies and Loyola.
Adding the two recounts already requested by Projet, only 97 of the city’s 103 representatives will be sworn in on Thursday at the Palais des congrès, the other six to be confirmed later.
H. John 01:45 on 2021-11-16 Permalink
I expected the Perez challenge in CDN-NDG. There was around a 200 vote difference out of 32,500 votes.
The Loyola challenge is harder to understand. A 100 vote difference out of 7,413 votes.
Kate 12:41 on 2021-11-16 Permalink
H. John, does a party have to pay for the recounts? Or does a judge simply have to agree it’s not an unreasonable request for it to proceed for free?
Mark Côté 13:23 on 2021-11-16 Permalink
Both the district and borough races in CDN-NDG started off Ensemble and then quite a bit later tipped to Projet, so I bet that’s why they were singled out for recounts. As a longtime NDG resident who also lived in Loyola for a decade, it was a very exciting election.
H. John 21:32 on 2021-11-16 Permalink
Kate, the applicant(s), for example Perez (CDN-NDG) and Retta (Loyola) file a petition with the Court of Quebec. From the Act Respecting Elections & Referendums in Municipalities:
“263. The application for a recount or re-addition is made by way of an application to a judge of the Court of Québec of the judicial district in which all or part of the territory of the municipality is situated, filed in the office of that court.
The respondent is the candidate having the greatest number of votes according to the announcement made by the returning officer.
Subject to any inconsistent provision of this subdivision, proceedings are conducted in accordance with the rules of contentious proceedings in the Code of Civil Procedure (chapter C-25.01), but the application shall be heard and decided by preference.
274. The judge shall award and fix the amount of the costs according to the tariff established by government regulation.
Where, according to the results of the poll certified by the judge, the candidate who received the greatest number of votes is the same as according to the announcement made by the returning officer, the costs of that candidate shall be assumed by the appellant.
Where the recount is applied for following a tie, there shall be no costs.”
Whether or not to award costs is the choice of the judge. And if awarded, in Quebec, they are no where near what you think they are.”
Here’s a short paper by the late Patrick Glenn explaining the difference:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~purzel/national_reports/Canada.pdf
Kate 21:35 on 2021-11-16 Permalink
Once again, thank you, H. John.