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By-Elections May 13, 2002 – Official Voting Results


THE SEVEN MAY 13, 2002 BY-ELECTIONS

Introduction

This section of the Chief Electoral Officer’s report on the federal by-elections held May 13, 2002, describes the circumstances leading to the calls for by-elections. It also details the electoral districts involved, the candidates of the registered political parties, the independent candidates and the candidates with no affiliation, as well as the numbers of registered electors and polling stations, and the results.

The May 13, 2002 by-elections are the first to be conducted under the present day Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9. Most of the changes with reference to the various provisions are simply a result of the restructuring of the Act.

The following section presents further information and summary data on the official voting results, in the form of tables. The concluding section gives the poll by-poll results of each by-election.

Information on the administration of the May 13, 2002 by-elections will appear in a report to be published in March 2003:

  • Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Following the 2002 By-elections

The report will be available on the Elections Canada Web site (www.elections.ca).

Calling of the by-elections

Following the resignation of seven members of Parliament, by-elections for these electoral districts were held May 13, 2002.

On January 14, 2002, Ronald J. Duhamel, the Liberal Party of Canada member for Saint Boniface, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

On January 14, 2002, Herb Gray, the Liberal Party of Canada member for Windsor West, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

On January 14, 2002, Alfonso Gagliano, the Liberal Party of Canada member for Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

On January 25, 2002, Brian Tobin, the Liberal Party of Canada member for Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

On January 31, 2002, Preston Manning, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance member for Calgary Southwest, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

The writs ordering by-elections to be held in these five electoral districts were issued on March 27, 2002, and election day was set for Monday, May 13, 2002.

Following the members of Parliament’s resignations, the seat distribution in the House of Commons was: Liberal Party of Canada – 168 seats; Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance – 57 seats; Bloc Québécois – 38 seats; New Democratic Party – 13 seats; Progressive Conservative Party of Canada – 12 seats; Independent – 8 seats; and vacant – 5 seats.

On March 24, 2002, Raymond Lavigne, Liberal Party of Canada member for Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

On March 24, 2002, George Baker, Liberal Party of Canada member for Gander–Grand Falls, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

The writs ordering by-elections to be held in these remaining two electoral districts were issued on April 5, 2002, and election day was set for Monday, May 13, 2002. At the time the writs were issued, the seat distribution in the House of Commons was: Liberal Party of Canada – 166 seats; Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance – 57 seats; Bloc Québécois – 38 seats; New Democratic Party – 13 seats; Progressive Conservative Party of Canada – 12 seats; Independent – 8 seats; and vacant – 7 seats.

The seven electoral districts

The boundaries of the seven electoral districts in which the May 13, 2002 by-elections were held were the same as those in effect during the 2000 federal general election. They coincided with the boundaries defined in the 1996 Representation Order issued pursuant to the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act.

Bonavista–Trinity–Conception
Newfoundland and Labrador

Population based on the 2001 Census: 83 661

Calgary Southwest, Alberta
Population based on the 2001 Census: 115 498

Gander–Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador
Population based on the 2001 Census: 70 891

Saint Boniface, Manitoba
Population based on the 2001 Census: 81 239

Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, Quebec
Population based on the 2001 Census: 102 302

Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–
Pointe Saint-Charles, Quebec

Population based on the 2001 Census: 91 795

Windsor West, Ontario
Population based on the 2001 Census: 117 041

TABLE 1 – List of returning officers

Electoral district Name Occupation Place of residence
Bonavista–Trinity–Conception Walter Brown Accountant-Insurance Agent Cavendish
Calgary Southwest Melvin Hansen Professional Engineer Calgary
Gander–Grand Falls Winnie Roebothan Retired Lewisporte
Saint Boniface Raymonde L. Doyle Librarian Winnipeg
Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel Antonio Iadeluca Daycare Director Saint-Léonard
Verdun–Saint-Henri–
Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles
Marcel Henley Salesman Verdun
Windsor West Louis Popovich Retired Windsor

Registered political parties and nomination of candidates

In Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, five registered parties nominated candidates: the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, The Green Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. There was one candidate with no affiliation.

In Calgary Southwest, four registered parties nominated candidates: the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Christian Heritage Party, The Green Party of Canada, and the New Democratic Party. There was one independent candidate.

In the Gander–Grand Falls by-election, four registered parties nominated candidates: the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

In Saint Boniface, six registered parties nominated candidates: the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Christian Heritage Party, the Liberal Party of Canada, the Marijuana Party, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

In Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, five registered parties nominated candidates: Bloc Québecois, the Liberal Party of Canada, the Marijuana Party, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

In the Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles by-election, five registered parties nominated candidates: Bloc Québecois, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. There was one candidate with no affiliation.

In Windsor West, six registered parties nominated candidates: the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Christian Heritage Party, The Green Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

From the date the returning officer published his Notice of Election, the candidates in the seven by-elections had until 2:00 p.m. on April 22, 2002 to file their official nomination papers.

Six candidates registered to run for office in Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, five in Calgary Southwest, four in Gander–Grand Falls, six in Saint Boniface, five in Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, six in Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles, and six in Windsor West. None of the candidates withdrew during the period in which a withdrawal of candidacy was permitted.

Registration of electors

The preliminary lists of electors for the seven May 13, 2002 by-elections were produced from information in the National Register of Electors. The revision period for all seven electoral districts extended from April 10 to May 7, 2002.

The names recorded on the final lists of electors (that is, the lists prepared after election day) numbered as follows for each of the seven electoral districts:

Bonavista–Trinity–Conception 65 687
Calgary Southwest 80 360
Gander–Grand Falls 55 260
Saint Boniface 58 653
Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel 74 465
Verdun–Saint-Henri–
  Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles
68 115
Windsor West 76 825

These lists included the names of electors who registered on election day. The number of electors who registered on election day was:

Bonavista–Trinity–Conception 1 376
Calgary Southwest 870
Gander–Grand Falls 1 262
Saint Boniface 631
Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel 177
Verdun–Saint-Henri–
  Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles
308
Windsor West 1 724

Polling stations

Under the Canada Elections Act, voting takes place in one or more polling stations established in each polling division. The ordinary polling stations were open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., local time, on polling day in Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles and Windsor West, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., local time, in Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, Gander–Grand Falls and Saint Boniface, and from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., local time, in Calgary Southwest.

The returning officers set up 264 ordinary polling stations (including 257 stationary) in Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, 217 in Calgary Southwest (including 214 stationary), 172 in Gander–Grand Falls (including 168 stationary), 168 in Saint Boniface (all were stationary), 191 in Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel (all were stationary), 197 in Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles (including 194 stationary), and 228 ordinary polling stations in Windsor West, of which 224 were stationary.

The Act provides for the establishment of mobile polling stations to collect the votes of seniors or persons with disabilities confined to health-care facilities. These polling stations, which serve polling divisions created by returning officers with the approval of the CEO and consisting of two or more health-care institutions, travel from institution to institution, and remain open at each place only as long as necessary to enable the electors present to vote. In the seven May 13, 2002 by-elections, 21 mobile polling stations collected the ballots of electors: 7 in Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, 3 in Calgary Southwest, 4 in Gander–Grand Falls, 3 in Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles, and 4 in Windsor West.

The returning officer in each electoral district is required to set up advance polling stations to collect the votes of electors who are unable to go to their ordinary polling stations on election day. The electoral district of Bonavista–Trinity–Conception had 16 advance polling stations; Calgary Southwest, 9; Gander–Grand Falls, 12; Saint Boniface, 7; Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, 8; Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles, 10; and Windsor West, 9. All advance polling stations were open from noon to 8:00 p.m. (local time), on May 3, 4 and 6, 2002.

Polling results

For the seven electoral districts, the number of electors casting their ballots and the participation rates were:

Bonavista–Trinity–Conception 25 129
(38.2%)
Calgary Southwest 18 519 (23.0%)
Gander–Grand Falls 19 210 (34.8%)
Saint Boniface 20 775 (35.4%)
Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel 17 062 (22.9%)
Verdun–Saint-Henri–
  Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles
17 333 (25.4%)
Windsor West 33 046 (43.0%)

A total of 151 074 Canadians cast a ballot in the seven by-elections. Of these electors, 140 156 (or 92.8%) voted on polling day at their ordinary polling stations.

TABLE 2 – Number of electors who voted, by voting method

Voting
method
Electoral district
Bonavista–
Trinity–
Conception
Calgary
Southwest
Gander–
Grand Falls
Saint
Boniface
Saint-
Léonard–
Saint-Michel
Verdun–
Saint-Henri–
Saint-Paul–
Pointe Saint-
Charles
Windsor West
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Ordinary
polling stations
23 821 94.8 17 406 94.0 18 191 94.7 19 216 92.5 15 615 91.5 15 078 87.0 30 829 93.3
Advance polling
stations
956 3.8 873 4.7 797 4.1 1 188 5.7 1 350 7.9 1 960 11.3 2 005 6.1
Special Voting
Rules – Group 1*
58 0.2 33 0.2 59 0.3 16 0.1 7 0.0 16 0.1 22 0.1
Special Voting
Rules – Group 2**
294 1.2 207 1.1 163 0.8 355 1.7 90 0.5 279 1.6 190 0.6
Total 25 129 100.0 18 519 100.0 19 210 100.0 20 775 100.0 17 062 100.0 17 333 100.0 33 046 100.0

*
Includes Canadian citizens temporarily residing outside Canada, members of the Canadian Forces and incarcerated electors serving sentences of less than two years.
** Includes Canadian citizens residing in Canada who voted by special ballot in or outside their electoral districts.

Candidates elected

In the May 13, 2002 by-elections, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance candidate, Stephen Joseph Harper, was elected in Calgary Southwest, the New Democratic Party candidate, Brian Masse, was elected in Windsor West and the Progressive Conservative
Party of Canada candidate, Rex Barnes, was elected in Gander–Grand Falls. Four Liberal candidates were elected in these by-elections: John R. Efford in Bonavista–Trinity–Conception, Liza Frulla in Verdun–Saint-Henri–Saint-Paul–Pointe Saint-Charles, Massimo Pacetti in Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel, and Raymond Simard in Saint Boniface.

Following the by-elections on May 13, 2002, the distribution of seats in the House of Commons was:

Liberal Party of Canada
170
Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance 63
Bloc Québécois 37
New Democratic Party 14
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada 13
Independent 3
   
Total 300
   
Vacancy 1


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