Longest voting in Canadian history could delay results of Montreal by-election

Voters in a hotly contested federal byelection in Montreal will face the longest ballot in Canadian history, which could mean a long wait for results.

There are 91 candidates in Monday’s vote in the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun riding, a race sparked by the departure of David Lametti. He served as justice minister under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before being removed from the bench in July 2023; he resigned as an MP in January.

The number of candidates on the byelection ballot, as well as its size — 12 inches wide by 38 inches long — could extend the time it takes to tally results. Ahead of the vote, Elections Canada said it was working to adjust procedures to the circumstances.

“Due to the large number of candidates and the resulting size of the ballot, it may take longer to count the votes and post the results on election.ca,” said Geneviève Nickel, a spokeswoman for the agency’s media relations.

Several names on the ballot in the LaSalle-Émard-Verdun constituency are linked to a group called the Longest Ballot Committee, which protests Canada’s majority voting system.

The group also rigged the vote in the Toronto-St. Paul byelection in June. The long voting process led to a slow count, meaning voters didn’t learn the results until the day after the byelection, around 5 a.m. ET. Elections Canada said its first priority was maintaining the integrity and transparency of the process.

The current voting system, which has been criticised for being unfair, is such that the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins the seat in the House of Commons. An absolute majority – more than 50 per cent of the votes in a constituency – is not required for a candidate to be elected.

When the Liberals came to power in 2015, Mr Trudeau promised to reform the plurality rule, but the changes never materialised and the system remains in place.

The Montreal by-election is being closely watched by political observers to see if the federal Liberals can win the riding again, given the party’s declining poll numbers and continued questions about Trudeau’s political future. The byelection candidates are Liberal Laura Palestini, New Democrat Craig Sauvé, Bloc Québécois Louis-Philippe Sauvé and Conservative Louis Ialenti.

A June byelection in Toronto resulted in a crushing defeat for the Liberals, prompting some to call 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 current law, any candidate who has met the eligibility requirements has the right to have his or her name placed on the ballot. The Canada Elections Act does not limit the number of candidates on the ballot in an electoral district.

Another byelection is Monday in Winnipeg’s Elmwood-Transcona riding, long held by the New Democrats, and the NDP is facing a tougher-than-expected race to reclaim the seat.

The race was sparked by the departure of Daniel Blaikie, who resigned from his position as an NDP MP to become a senior adviser to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. Daniel is the son of the late Bill Blaikie, a prominent New Democrat who served as an MP and member of the Manitoba Legislature.

With a report from Marieke Walsh