Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the riding office of Laura Palestini, Liberal candidate for LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in Montreal on Aug. 11.Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press
Voters in a hotly contested Montreal federal by-election will find themselves holding the longest ballot in Canadian history, which could make for a lengthy period of waiting for results.
There are 91 candidates on Monday’s ballot for the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun district, a race prompted by the departure of David Lametti. He served as justice minister under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before he was shuffled off the front bench in July, 2023; he resigned as an MP in January.
The number of candidates on the by-election ballot, alongside its size – 12 inches wide and 38 inches long – may extend the time it takes to count results. Ahead of the vote, Elections Canada has said it is working to adapt procedures under the circumstances.
“Because of the large number of candidates and the resulting size of the ballot, it may take longer to perform the count and publish results on elections.ca, " said Geneviève Nickel, the agency’s media relations spokesperson.
A number of names on the ballot in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun are connected to a group called Longest Ballot Committee, which is protesting Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system.
The group also stacked the ballot in the June Toronto-St. Paul’s by-election. The lengthy ballot led to a slow count that meant voters only learned the result the day after the by-election, around 5 a.m. ET. Elections Canada said its first priority was to maintain the integrity and transparency of the process.
The current voting system, which has been the subject of criticism for being unfair, sees the candidate with the most votes in each riding win a seat in the House of Commons. An absolute majority – more than 50 per cent of the votes in the electoral district – is not required for a candidate to be elected.
Mr. Trudeau vowed to reform first-past-the-post when Liberals came to power in 2015 but changes never came to fruition and the system remains in place.
The Montreal by-election is being watched closely by political observers who want to see if the federal Liberals can win the riding again, given the party’s sagging poll numbers and continuing questions about Mr. Trudeau’s political future. By-election candidates include Liberal Laura Palestini, New Democrat Craig Sauvé, Bloc Québécois Louis-Philippe Sauvé and Conservative Louis Ialenti.
The June by-election in Toronto led to a devastating loss for the Liberals that spurred some calls for Mr. Trudeau to resign. The riding, long held by another cabinet minister under Mr. Trudeau, Carolyn Bennett, was won by Conservative Don Stewart, who defeated Liberal Leslie Church.
Under existing rules, any candidates who fulfill conditions for candidacy are eligible to have their names included on a ballot. The Canada Elections Act does not limit for the number of candidates on a ballot in an electoral district.
Another by-election is taking place Monday in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood-Transcona, long held by the New Democrats. The NDP is facing a tougher-than-expected race to win back the seat.
The race was sparked by the departure of Daniel Blaikie, who left his role as NDP MP to serve as a senior adviser to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. Daniel is the son of the late Bill Blaikie, a well-known New Democrat who served as an MP and member of the Manitoba Legislature.
With a report from Marieke Walsh