Thursday January 9, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 12:55 pm | Updated 1:57 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The BC Conservative Party is calling for an independent review of the 2024 election, after it says it found a number of “irregularities” in voting last fall.
As part of this effort, Surrey-Guildford candidate Honveer Randhawa is filing a petition in B.C. Supreme Court under the BC Elections Act.
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said today that a complaint has been filed with Elections B.C., specifically with regard to the riding of Surrey-Guildford, where Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa lost by just 22 votes.
Randhawa said Thursday the the party reviewed the voting process and the voters themselves specifically in that riding.
Claiming 45 irregularities:
The party alleges someone voted twice in the riding; that it uncovered votes from people whose place of residence according to Elections B.C. documents did not match where they currently live; and expressed concern about a third party who was allegedly involved with mail-in ballots.
Rustad presented evidence of 45 votes cast in the riding of Surrey-Guildford in the 2024 election “that fail even the most basic smell test in a democracy.”
- 21 mail-in ballot votes were cast by residents of Argyll Lodge, a licensed addiction and substance abuse recovery facility. The licensed capacity of Argyll Lodge is 25 beds.
- Argyll Lodge is across the street from Guildford Park Secondary School, the nearest polling station, located just 80 metres away.
- Some residents of Argyll Lodge deny requesting a mail-in ballot or being aware that a provincial election was even taking place.
- A resident of Argyll Lodge said they were instructed how to complete their mail-in ballot package by a third party.
- The manager of Argyll Lodge, listed in a Fraser Health inspection report bears the same name as an individual who made a $1,400 donation to the BC NDP in 2023.
- One voter in Surrey-Guildford voted twice, using two slightly different names.
- 22 voters who cast ballots in Surrey-Guildford did not reside in the riding and were not eligible to vote.
Randhawa claims the B.C. Conservative Party found 45 irregularities, specifically focused on mail-in ballots cast from Argyll Lodge, which Fraser Health describes as a community residential care facility. The party alleges one resident was told how to fill out their mail-in package by a third party, and that others received mail-in ballot packages they did not ask for.
Elections B.C. had received a complaint from Randhawa on January 3 and said the complaint is under review.
Back in November 2024 the BC Conservatives call for independent review of Elections BC. saying that the all-party committee promised by Premier Eby would have potential bias.
Timeline of election results:
Scrutiny of Elections BC still reverberates since the October 19, 2024 election, including that an uncounted box of votes was discovered in the Prince George-Mackenzie riding, along with 14 unreported votes in Surrey-Guildford.
Full ballot recount took nearly three weeks (October 19 election night to the last of recounts on November 8) before British Columbians would know who their government was.
Premier David Eby held a media availability on October 22 and then his first post-election news conference at the legislature on October 29. After the swearing-in of BC NDP MLAs on November 13 Eby said: “We want to work to make sure that this legislature works for the people of British Columbia… the province is stronger when we all work together.” Eby appointed his cabinet on November 18.
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad announced his shadow cabinet on November 20.
Challenges Garry Begg’s win:
Randhawa is a lawyer who specializes in family law, real estate and wills. He is filing the petition as an individual, ultimately claiming that the win by BC NDP Surrey-Guildford candidate Garry Begg is invalid.
Begg won by a slim margin of 22 votes, giving his party a one-seat majority of 47 seats in the 93-seat legislature.
On November 18, Begg was appointed Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General by Premier David Eby.
Begg received 8,947 votes while Randhawa received 8,925 votes, as produced through by a judicial recount overseen by Justice Kevin Loo of the B.C. Supreme Court as announced November 8, 2024.
Broader recount challenge:
Today the BC Conservatives identified four areas that the Commission of Inquiry should address. Rustad says these will be addressed as the Official Opposition (the House sits starting February 19).
- The events in Surrey-Cuildford
- The management of the 2024 general election by Elections BC
- The effect of David Eby’s 2019 and 2021 amendments to the Elections Act on the overall poor outcomes of the 2024 election
- The urgent need for proof of citizenship on the identity documents — B.C. driver’s licenses and B.C. IDs — used in provincial elections”
Rustad has called for a 90-day amnesty from prosecution for all those who come forward with information relating to 2024 election irregularities.
“Our only priority is getting the truth and safeguarding our democracy,” he stated today.
Attorney General:
Attorney General Niki Sharma addressed media at 1 pm Pacific today. She noted that the court challenge focuses only on the Surrey-Guildford riding without mentioning the full BC Conservative Party or the overall election results.
However, if Surrey-Guildford results tip to a BC Conservative win, that will change the BC NDP majority seat count of 45 down to 44 seats which would relegate the NDP government to being a minority; that would mean even greater reliance on the agreement made by the NDP with the BC Greens for their supportive voting stance on major legislation in the 43rd Parliament.
The court decision might be expected within two weeks. The BC Legislative Assembly holds its first regular sitting day on February 19.
===== RELATED:
- BC Conservatives announce their shadow cabinet (November 20, 2024)
- Premier Eby appoints his cabinet for the 43rd BC Parliament (November 18, 2024)
- Premier Eby pleased at 65% of BC NDP caucus being women (November 14, 2024)
- BC Conservatives call for independent review of Elections BC (November 7, 2024)
- First day on the new job for Eby & Rustad (October 29, 2024)
- Premier David Eby issues first post-election statement with “renewed determination” (October 28, 2024)
- Premier David Eby’s first press conference following thin-margin BC election results (October 22, 2024)
- BC election ‘already in the history books’, says Rustad (June 19, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: BC ELECTION 2024 | POLITICS