A democracy expert who previously represented Canada abroad as an election observer was fined $1,250 this week for voting twice in the 2019 Québec elections. Blacklock's Reporter says David Gilchrist, of Montréal, despite his extensive knowledge of the electoral process, was found guilty of breaching the Canada Elections Act.“Gilchrist has an above-average knowledge of the electoral process,” the Commissioner of Canada Elections stated in the notice of penalty. Evidence showed that Gilchrist voted by mail-in ballot in the Notre Dame-de-Grace-Westmount riding and then again using his father’s Voter Information Card at an advance polling station in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. The maximum penalty for this offense is five years’ imprisonment.Neither of Gilchrist’s ballots influenced the election outcomes. Then-Transport Minister Marc Garneau secured victory in Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount by over 22,000 votes, while Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos won in Saint-Laurent by more than 16,000 votes.The commissioner emphasized Gilchrist’s previous role as an international election observer. He served as a liaison officer during the 2004 elections in Ukraine alongside Marion Dewar, former Ottawa mayor and chair of Oxfam Canada. “In Canada, he has worked as an election officer in several municipal, provincial, and federal elections,” the Commissioner noted. “Internationally, he served as regional liaison officer for the Ukraine presidential elections in 2004 and 2014 and acted as an international election observer with the International Civilian Response Corps in Haiti in 2006.”Voting twice is uncommon but not unheard of in Canada. A civil suit in New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench revealed multiple irregularities in the 2018 provincial election in the Saint John Harbour riding. Evidence indicated eight ballots were illegally cast by non-residents, at least one voter cast two ballots without facing charges, and another six voters received ballots without proving they were 18. Additionally, one ballot was assigned to a phantom voter with a fabricated street address and an illegible signature.Judges referencing these New Brunswick irregularities cited a 2012 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that election results may only be overturned with irrefutable proof of “fraud or wrongdoing.” This Supreme Court case involved the 2011 election in Etobicoke Centre, Ontario, where Conservative MP Ted Opitz won by 26 votes. An Ontario Superior Court judge identified 79 irregular ballots and voided the result, but the Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, dismissed these as minor paperwork errors. “Only irregularities that affect the result of the election and therefore undermine the integrity of the electoral process are grounds for overturning an election,” the Court ruled. Opitz subsequently lost re-election by 8,000 votes..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
A democracy expert who previously represented Canada abroad as an election observer was fined $1,250 this week for voting twice in the 2019 Québec elections. Blacklock's Reporter says David Gilchrist, of Montréal, despite his extensive knowledge of the electoral process, was found guilty of breaching the Canada Elections Act.“Gilchrist has an above-average knowledge of the electoral process,” the Commissioner of Canada Elections stated in the notice of penalty. Evidence showed that Gilchrist voted by mail-in ballot in the Notre Dame-de-Grace-Westmount riding and then again using his father’s Voter Information Card at an advance polling station in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. The maximum penalty for this offense is five years’ imprisonment.Neither of Gilchrist’s ballots influenced the election outcomes. Then-Transport Minister Marc Garneau secured victory in Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount by over 22,000 votes, while Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos won in Saint-Laurent by more than 16,000 votes.The commissioner emphasized Gilchrist’s previous role as an international election observer. He served as a liaison officer during the 2004 elections in Ukraine alongside Marion Dewar, former Ottawa mayor and chair of Oxfam Canada. “In Canada, he has worked as an election officer in several municipal, provincial, and federal elections,” the Commissioner noted. “Internationally, he served as regional liaison officer for the Ukraine presidential elections in 2004 and 2014 and acted as an international election observer with the International Civilian Response Corps in Haiti in 2006.”Voting twice is uncommon but not unheard of in Canada. A civil suit in New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench revealed multiple irregularities in the 2018 provincial election in the Saint John Harbour riding. Evidence indicated eight ballots were illegally cast by non-residents, at least one voter cast two ballots without facing charges, and another six voters received ballots without proving they were 18. Additionally, one ballot was assigned to a phantom voter with a fabricated street address and an illegible signature.Judges referencing these New Brunswick irregularities cited a 2012 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that election results may only be overturned with irrefutable proof of “fraud or wrongdoing.” This Supreme Court case involved the 2011 election in Etobicoke Centre, Ontario, where Conservative MP Ted Opitz won by 26 votes. An Ontario Superior Court judge identified 79 irregular ballots and voided the result, but the Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, dismissed these as minor paperwork errors. “Only irregularities that affect the result of the election and therefore undermine the integrity of the electoral process are grounds for overturning an election,” the Court ruled. Opitz subsequently lost re-election by 8,000 votes..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
