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Official Voting Results Following the May 12, 2003 By-election Held in Perth–Middlesex and the June 16, 2003 By-elections Held in Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière and Témiscamingue



THE BY-ELECTIONS IN PERTH–MIDDLESEX ON MAY 12, 2003, AND IN LÉVIS-ET-CHUTES-DE-LA-CHAUDIÈRE AND TÉMISCAMINGUE ON JUNE 16, 2003

Introduction

This section of the Chief Electoral Officer's report on the federal by-elections held May 12 and June 16, 2003, describes the circumstances leading to the calls for by-election, the electoral districts involved, the candidates and the numbers of registered electors and polling stations, as well as the results.

On December 16, 2002, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled in Harper v. Canada (Attorney General) that the following provisions in the Canada Elections Act were unconstitutional and of no force or effect:

  • Third parties shall not incur election advertising expenses in excess of the specified limits (s. 350).
     
  • All third parties must identify themselves on their election advertising and state that the ad was authorized by the third party (s. 352).
     
  • Any third party, immediately upon incurring $500 in election advertising expenses, must register with Elections Canada (ss. 353, 356).
     
  • Third parties must appoint a financial agent to accept all contributions for election advertising purposes and to authorize all election advertising expenses on behalf of the third party (ss. 354, 357).
     
  • Third parties who spend $5,000 or more on election advertising must appoint an auditor (ss. 355, 360).
     
  • Third parties must not use anonymous funds for their election advertising (s. 357).
     
  • Third parties will have to report the details of their election advertising expenses within four months after election day (s. 359).
     
  • Third parties shall not circumvent or attempt to circumvent the spending limits (s. 351).
     
  • Third parties will have to report who contributed money to the third party for election advertising purposes in the period beginning six months before the issue of the writ and ending on election day (ss. 359, 362).
     
  • Third parties, political parties and candidates must not transmit election advertising to the public on election day (s. 323).

The Attorney General has sought leave to appeal the Alberta Court of Appeal decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. In the meantime, however, to achieve fair application of the Act across the country, the Alberta Court of Appeal decision was applied to the May 12 and June 16, 2003, by-elections and none of the above-noted provisions of the Canada Elections Act were enforced.

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 for each by election.

Information on the administration of the May 12 and June 16, 2003, by-elections, and any other by-election that may take place in 2003, will appear in a report to be published in March 2004:

  • Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Following the 2003 By-elections

The report will be available at www.elections.ca.

Calling the by-elections

The May 12 by-election
On October 11, 2002, John Alexander Richardson, the Liberal Party of Canada Member for Perth–Middlesex, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

The writ ordering a by-election in Perth–Middlesex was issued on April 6, 2003, and election day was set for Monday, May 12, 2003. Following the resignation, the seat distribution in the House of Commons was: Liberal Party of Canada – 169 seats; Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance – 63 seats; Bloc Québécois – 37 seats; New Democratic Party – 14 seats; Progressive Conservative Party of Canada – 14 seats; Independent – 3 seats; and vacant – 1 seat.

The June 16 by-elections
On March 14, 2003, Pierre Brien, the Bloc Québécois Member for Témiscamingue, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

On March 17, 2003, Antoine Dubé, the Bloc Québécois Member for Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

The writs ordering by-elections in these two electoral districts were issued on May 11, 2003, and election day was set for Monday, June 16, 2003. Following the two resignations, the seat distribution in the House of Commons was: Liberal Party of Canada – 169 seats; Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance – 63 seats; Bloc Québécois – 34 seats; New Democratic Party – 14 seats; Progressive Conservative Party of Canada – 14 seats; Independent – 4 seats; and vacant – 3 seats.

 

The electoral districts

The boundaries of the electoral districts of Perth–Middlesex, Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière and Témiscamingue were the same as those in effect during the 2000 federal general election. They coincide with the boundaries defined in the 1996 Representation Order issued pursuant to the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act.

List of returning officers
Electoral district
Name
Occupation
Place of residence
Perth–Middlesex* Robert Jones Retired Stratford
Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-
Chaudière
Monique Garcia Retired Lévis
Témiscamingue Jeannine Beaulieu Retired Rouyn-Noranda
* Information printed in burgundy throughout the report pertains to the May 12, 2003, by-election.

Perth–Middlesex (Ontario)
Population based on the 2001 Census: 97,216



Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière (Quebec)
Population based on the 2001 Census: 125,848



Témiscamingue (Quebec)
Population based on the 2001 Census: 80,007

Registered political parties and nomination of candidates

The May 12 by-election
In Perth–Middlesex, 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. The Christian Heritage Party, which is eligible for registration, also nominated a candidate.

From the date the returning officer published the Notice of Election, the candidates in the by-election had until 2:00 p.m. on April 21, 2003, to file their nomination papers.

Five candidates registered to run for office in Perth–Middlesex. None of the candidates withdrew during the period in which a withdrawal of candidacy was permitted.

The June 16 by-elections
In Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, seven registered parties nominated candidates: the Bloc Québécois, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Liberal Party of Canada, the Marijuana Party, the New Democratic Party, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and The Green Party of Canada.

In Témiscamingue, five registered parties nominated candidates: the Bloc Québécois, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

From the date each returning officer published the Notice of Election, the candidates in the two by-elections had until 2:00 p.m. on May 26, 2003, to file their nomination papers.

Seven candidates registered to run for office in Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, and five in Témiscamingue. None of the candidates withdrew during the period in which a withdrawal of candidacy was permitted.

Registration of electors

The May 12 by-election
The preliminary lists of electors for the May 12, 2003, by-election were produced from information in the National Register of Electors. During the revision period, which extended from April 9 to May 6, 2003, 5,233 electors were registered.

The names recorded on the final lists of electors (that is, the lists prepared after election day) numbered 70,375.

These lists included the names of electors who registered on election day. The number of electors who registered on election day was 1,576.

The June 16 by-elections
The preliminary lists of electors for the two June 16, 2003, by-elections were produced from information in the National Register of Electors. During the revision period, which extended from May 14 to June 10, 2003, 3,991 electors were registered in Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière and 3,803 in Témiscamingue.

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

        Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière
101,036        
        Témiscamingue
61,638        

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

        Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière
119        
        Témiscamingue
297        

Polling stations

The Canada Elections Act, s. 131, sets 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. as the hours of voting for by-elections. The ordinary polling stations were accordingly open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., local time, on election day, in all three electoral districts.

The returning officers set up polling stations as follows:

Perth–Middlesex 201 ordinary polling stations, 195 of which were stationary
Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-
  Chaudière

252 ordinary polling stations, 248 of which were stationary
Témiscamingue 185 ordinary polling stations, 182 of which were stationary

The Act provides for the establishment of mobile polling stations to collect the votes of seniors or persons with disabilities confined to institutions. These polling stations, set up in polling divisions with more than two institutions, travel from one place to another, and remain open at each place only as long as necessary to enable the electors present to vote. The following mobile polling stations were established to collect the ballots of electors in the three by-elections.

Perth–Middlesex 6 mobile polling stations
Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière 4 mobile polling stations
Témiscamingue 3 mobile polling stations

Returning officers are required to set up advance polling stations to collect the votes of electors who do not wish to go to their ordinary polling stations on election day. The following advance polling stations were established, all of which were open from noon to 8:00 p.m. (local time) on the dates indicated:

Perth–Middlesex 12 advance polling stations were open on May 2, 3 and 5, 2003
Lévis-et-Chutes-de-
la-Chaudière
11 advance polling stations were open on June 6, 7 and 9, 2003
 
Témiscamingue 13 advance polling stations were open on June 6, 7 and 9, 2003

Polling results

The number of electors casting their ballots and the participation rates were:

  Perth–Middlesex 30,941 (44.0%)
  Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière 23,745 (23.5%)
  Témiscamingue 18,008 (29.2%)

A total of 72,694 Canadians cast a ballot in the three by-elections. Of these electors, 66,021 (or 90.8%) voted on election day at their ordinary polling stations.

Number of electors who voted, by voting method
Voting method
Electoral district
Perth–Middlesex
Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-
Chaudière
Témiscamingue
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
Ordinary polling stations
 29 105
  94.1
21 145
  89.1
15 771 
  87.6
Advance polling stations
   1 626
    5.3
  2 309
    9.7
 1 843
  10.2
Special Voting Rules –
Group 1*
       17
    0.1
       19
    0.1
      22
    0.1
Special Voting Rules –
Group 2**
     193
    0.6
     272
    1.1
    372
    2.1
Total
30 941
100.0
23 745
100.0
18 008
100.0
*
 
Includes Canadian citizens temporarily residing outside Canada, members of the Canadian Forces and incarcerated electors, regardless of the length of their sentences.
**
Includes Canadian citizens residing in Canada who voted by special ballot in or outside their electoral districts.

Candidates elected

In the May 12, 2003, by-election, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate, Gary Schellenberger, was elected in Perth–Middlesex.

In the June 16, 2003, by-elections, the Liberal Party of Canada candidate, Christian Jobin, was elected in Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, and the Liberal Party of Canada candidate, Gilbert Barrette, was elected in Témiscamingue.

Following the by-elections of May 12 and June 16, 2003, the distribution of seats in the House of Commons was:

Name of party
Seats following
May 12, 2003,
by-election
Seats following
June 16, 2003,
by-elections
Liberal Party of Canada
Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance
Bloc Québécois
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
New Democratic Party
Independent
Total
Vacancies
169
  63
  34
  15
  14
    4
299
    2
171
  63
  34
  15
  14
    4
301
    0

 

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