Fate of Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding hinges on mail-in votes
The winner of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding could be determined before the weekend as Elections Canada officials work to count mail-in ballots in a race that was too close to call on election night.
NDP candidate Lisa Marie Barron looked poised to unseat Green MP Paul Manly on Monday, with 1,001 votes between herself and the second-place finisher, Conservative Tamara Kronis.
Mail-in ballots could upset those standings, however, with Manly, the incumbent, trailing the lead by fewer than 2,800 votes.
An Elections Canada spokesperson says officials received thousands of mail-in votes for the Vancouver Island riding. Officials expect to finish verifying all the ballots by Thursday evening and begin counting them on Friday.
“They are hopeful they will be able to complete the count by end of day Friday,” said spokesperson Andrea Marantz.
Manly was one of only two Green MPs in Canada when Parliament was dissolved, having won the seat in a 2019 byelection.
In a Twitter post late on election night, Manly thanked his supporters, but added, “even with 8,000 special ballots remaining to be counted on Friday, the current margin will be hard to overcome.”
Kronis has been silent on social media since Sep. 6, when she thanked a supporter and retweeted a Conservative party ad.
Barron, who leads in the votes counted so far, tweeted that the 36-day election campaign was “like no other.”
“While we will not know the results for a few days, I wanted to thank each one of you for your support, donations, vote and time through these past 5 weeks and beyond,” Barron said.
Nanaimo-Ladysmith is one of three B.C. ridings waiting for mail ballots to be counted before determining a result. The Richmond Centre and West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country seats are still undecided after close races.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Torchbearers in Marseille kick off the Olympic flame's journey across France
Torchbearers carried the Olympic flame through the streets of France's southern port city of Marseille on Thursday, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony.
Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Court to hear about search for remains as Winnipeg murder trial enters second day
A courtroom in Winnipeg is expected to hear testimony today about the search for the remains of the four victims of Jeremy Skibicki.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.