(Ottawa) The NDP called for a formal investigation into what it calls “the many systemic failures of election officials” in the federal election last month.
NDP National Director Anne McGrath wrote to Canada’s Election Commissioner, Yves Côté, asking for an investigation to determine whether election officials in several constituencies followed procedures correctly, she said denying citizens the right to do so. right to vote on September 20.
The letter of the complaint, read by The Canadian Press, alleges that some polling stations opened late “or not at all”, depriving voters of the right to vote, many of whom belonged to indigenous communities.
The complaint says that in Kenora, Ont., Aboriginal voters were “significantly deprived of the right to vote” because places where people expected to vote did not open at all, or not until mid-year. the afternoon.
A file, compiled by lawyers for the NPD, was also sent to Yves Côté, an independent officer who oversees the proper application of the electoral law.
His office and Elections Canada were not immediately available for comment.
Vancouver-based NDP law firm Allevato, Quail and Roy, alleges there were “systemic failures” in following election procedures.
Polling stations in Indigenous communities, including Cat Lake, Poplar Hill and Pikangikum, “just never materialized,” the NDP said. In Grassy Narrow, the polling station opened “more than four hours late”.
Some polling stations, the party said, did not have voter lists ready when they opened and fired voters and told them to come back later.
In some ridings, election officials refused to keep polling stations open to voters even though they had been open late, denying Canadians the 12 hours required to vote on election day, the NDP alleges.
In addition, the party says some voters had to queue for up to two hours.
“Elections Canada failed in its responsibility to ensure the empowerment of all voters, even and especially those in low income communities, those living in Indigenous and rural / remote communities and people with disabilities,” said Anne McGrath in a statement to The Canadian Press. .
“What we have seen in aboriginal communities in Kenora or in urban communities in Toronto where people were unable to vote or were not given the opportunity to vote is troubling and must be corrected before the next election. ”
“We respect voters’ choice and election results, but these systemic failures of Elections Canada to ensure that every person in Canada can participate in our process is in violation of the Elections Act and must be corrected,” added Anne McGrath.
In her letter to Commissioner Anne McGrath, says the NDP “gave Elections Canada advance warning” of potential failures, based on warning signs emanating from advance polls a week before polling day.
“We were promised that Elections Canada would take steps to ensure that such failures do not happen again on election day. Nothing was done. Voters were turned away, sent to the wrong polling stations, showed up in places that opened late or never opened, or stepped away from massive queues, ”her letter said.
The NDP also complains that party election observers were unable to verify the vote count and that in one case police were allegedly called to escort an NDP lawyer out of a polling station.
“Across the country, local Elections Canada officials refused to allow candidate representatives to observe the counting of the ballots, despite their legal right to do so,” said the NDP.
The NDP calls for an investigation and wants action taken to ensure that such failures do not happen again. The party says the mistakes “seriously undermined the confidence of Canadians in our electoral system.”
The party claims to have taken note of “the pressure exerted on Elections Canada” to organize an election “during a public health crisis”.