The Bloc Québécois is preparing to legally challenge the result of the federal election in Terrebonne, where the party lost to the Liberals by just one vote after a judicial recount.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet announced Thursday that his party will petition Quebec’s Superior Court to overturn the result and order a new election in the riding. The move comes after Elections Canada admitted that a Bloc voter’s mail-in ballot was returned to sender due to a printing error on the return envelope.
“The situation is quite clear,” Blanchet said in French. “The judge has established that the Bloc lost by one vote. That vote was clearly in the hands of a citizen, and the law requires the election to be redone in that situation.”
Elections Canada confirmed that the last three digits of the postal code on the return envelope were incorrect, which caused at least one Bloc vote to be invalidated by never reaching election officials.
Despite the error, Elections Canada declared the recount result final and emphasized that under federal election law, the agency cannot order a re-vote — only the courts can.
Blanchet said the party is not seeking an injunction to immediately stop the result, but is pursuing a legal remedy to have the vote redone.
Riding Flipped Twice Before Final Call
The Terrebonne contest has been one of the tightest and most contentious of the 2025 federal election.
- Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste was initially declared the winner.
- After the ballot validation process, the riding flipped to the Bloc’s Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.
- A judicial recount completed on May 10 reaffirmed the Liberal win — by just one vote.
More Ballot Issues Reported
Elections Canada also revealed Thursday that five other ballots from the Terrebonne riding had incorrect postal codes on their return envelopes. Those ballots did arrive late to the returning office, but it remains unclear whether the delay was caused by the postal error or late mailing by voters.
“There is no information as to whether the delay was due to the incorrect postal code,” Elections Canada said, adding that the affected voters had signed their ballots late in the election period.
The Bloc is basing its court challenge solely on the one ballot that was returned to the voter, which, if counted, would have tied the election.
Will Auguste Sit in Parliament?
With Parliament set to resume on May 26, Blanchet stopped short of demanding that Liberal MP Tatiana Auguste be barred from taking her seat, but hinted that the legitimacy of her vote could be challenged if she participates in crucial decisions.
“It’s up to Prime Minister Mark Carney to decide whether she should sit,” Blanchet said. “If her vote ends up deciding something important in the House of Commons, that would be problematic.”
He added, “I will ask nothing of Mr. Carney. I will let him manage on his conscience.”
The Bloc says it will file the court application in the coming days.