Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault deflected responsibility Thursday for several electoral irregularities in the April 28 federal election, including 822 uncounted mail-in ballots in Coquitlam, B.C.
Perrault stated that they are implementing controls to immediately detect errors like the Coquitlam incident, which he attributed to employees.
Conservative MP Tako van Popta questioned 822 ballots in 74 contests, which Elections Canada confirmed did not alter riding outcomes. Van Popta called the misplaced votes “inexplicable.” It prompted an apology from the federal agency.
Elections Canada’s Report On The 45th General Election noted 467 displaced mail-in ballots in two ridings. Other issues included incorrect return addresses in Terrebonne, Quebec, where a Liberal won by one vote, and unannounced poll closures in Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, Quebec, which also led to a Liberal win.
Perrault stated the Nunavik incident investigation is complete, with findings forthcoming. He noted that in that instance, inclement weather is expected in regions like Nunavik and that last-minute deployment of election workers “is a risky proposition.”
Conservative MP Michael Kram observed the Elections Canada website crashed on April 28 after 7 p.m. ET, while polls were still open, impacting access to poll locations.
“What exactly went wrong?” asked MP Kram. “There was a failure of a firewall set up by a private partner that provides the web services for us,” replied Perrault. Managers have “introduced protocols where we will be monitoring the pre-election tests,” he said.
Hellbound and Down 