Official Voting Results Following the May 12, 2003 By-election Held in PerthMiddlesex and the June 16, 2003 By-elections Held in Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière and Témiscamingue
THE BY-ELECTIONS IN PERTHMIDDLESEX ON MAY 12, 2003, AND IN LÉVIS-ET-CHUTES-DE-LA-CHAUDIÈRE AND TÉMISCAMINGUE ON
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.
The May 12 by-election
On October 11, 2002, John Alexander Richardson, the Liberal Party of Canada
Member for PerthMiddlesex, resigned his seat in the House of Commons.
The writ ordering a by-election in PerthMiddlesex 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 boundaries of the electoral districts of PerthMiddlesex, 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.
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* Information printed in burgundy throughout the report pertains to the May 12, 2003, by-election. |
PerthMiddlesex (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 PerthMiddlesex, 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
Five candidates registered to run for office in PerthMiddlesex. 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
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.
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,
The names recorded on the final lists of electors (that is, the
lists prepared after election day)
These lists included the names of electors who registered on election
day. The number of electors who registered on election day
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,
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
|
The Canada Elections Act,
The returning officers set up polling stations as follows:
PerthMiddlesex | 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.
PerthMiddlesex | 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
PerthMiddlesex | 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 |
The number of electors casting their ballots and the participation rates were:
PerthMiddlesex | 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,
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*
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Includes Canadian citizens temporarily residing outside Canada, members of the Canadian Forces and incarcerated electors, regardless of the length of their sentences. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
**
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Includes Canadian citizens residing in Canada who voted by special ballot in or outside their electoral districts. |
In the May 12, 2003, by-election, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate, Gary Schellenberger, was elected in PerthMiddlesex.
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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