APTN National News
The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada has ordered a recount in northern Saskatchewan riding narrowly won by an Indigenous NDP candidate that was also the source of ballot shortage reports.
The judicial recount in the electoral district of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River will be held on Nov. 2, said Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand.
The riding was won by NDP candidate Georgina Jolibis who beat Liberal candidate Lawrence Joseph, a former First Nation chief, by 71 votes.
The riding was previously held by former Conservative MP Rob Clarke.
During voting day on Oct. 19, Joseph told APTN that a poll in the riding had run out of ballots.
In an interview this week, Joseph said that one polling station didn’t even have ballots at the beginning of the voting day.
“I had reports coming in from other areas for instance in Ahtahkakoop (First Nation), big supporters of mine, all morning they didn’t have enough, didn’t have any ballots to begin with so clearly that is going to be an issue that needs to be talked about and researched and investigated,” said Joseph.
Elections Canada has stated only one First Nation polling station, on the Siksika Nation in Alberta, saw polling temporarily halted over a shortage of ballots.
