B.C. Conservatives call for review of 2024 election, claiming 'irregularities' in voting
Surrey-Guildford candidate Honveer Randhawa filing petition in B.C. Supreme Court under Elections Act
The B.C. 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.
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad says 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 that the party reviewed the voting process and the voters themselves, specifically in that riding.
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 allegedly involved with mail-in ballots.
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.
The lodge's owner has strongly denied the allegations.
Randhawa, a lawyer specializing in family law, real estate and wills, said he will, as an individual, file a petition to the Supreme Court of British Columbia under the Elections Act, claiming that B.C. NDP Garry Begg's win in the riding 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. He received 8,947 votes compared to the Conservative candidate's 8,925, a result confirmed by a judicial recount overseen by Justice Kevin Loo of the B.C. Supreme Court.
Elections B.C. received much scrutiny from the Conservatives after an uncounted box of votes was discovered in the Prince George-Mackenzie riding, along with 14 unreported votes in Surrey-Guildford.
It also received flak for the drawn-out nature of the recount process, with B.C. voters having to wait nearly three weeks after the Oct. 19 election to find out who their government was.
Anton Boegman, British Columbia's chief electoral officer, says Elections B.C. is reviewing Randhawa's complaint to determine if a full investigation is needed.
"I'm very confident that the election was held in accordance with the Election Act," Boegman said. "There [are] many processes in place to ensure accessibility to voting and to protect election integrity. But if our legislators decide that an independent review of the election or of Elections B.C. is warranted, then we, of course, will fully support that process."
Speaking from her constituency office on Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Niki Sharma said it's "interesting" that the petition is coming from Randhawa as an individual and not the Conservative Party.
Argyll Lodge manager denies allegations
Argyll Lodge owner and manager Baljit Kandola said she's "shocked" by the allegations from Randhawa and the Conservative Party of B.C.
"It's really absurd," she said.
She told CBC News clients at her facility have been casting their votes the same way for more than 30 years.
"We have policies in place, do not engage in any kind of political or religious conversations with our clients. We maintain a very neutral base."
Kathy Oo, activity coordinator for the lodge, helps residents with things like dispersing mail, Kandola said.
Oo said she's worked at the lodge for more than 15 years. For any election, be it provincial or otherwise, clients are sent voting packages, she said.
She said she gives people their mail containing their ballots, and once they've been filled out, she and another health-care worker help them put the correct address on the envelope.
"That's it," she told CBC News.
"When the mail arrives, I will check it out. If they need help, they will ask me. If they do not need help, we don't do anything. They open by themselves."
Oo said she does not and did not point to a candidate on any ballot telling a resident who to vote for.
"We are not allowed to do that. If I do that, I'm gonna get fired. We are not allowed to talk about politics. We are not allowed to talk about religion in here."
In 2023, Kandola donated $1,400 to the B.C. NDP. She says it's because her son wanted to donate to "progressive people."
Despite that, Kandola said she didn't support any of the political parties in the last election — she spoiled her ballot in her home riding in New Westminster.
"If that donation mattered, why didn't I vote for NDP this year?" she said. "I guess just like anyone else in this province, I'm just really, really frustrated, you know, with this situation."
Speaking to Power and Politics host David Cochrane, B.C. Premier David Eby described Rustad's allegations as "a little bit cringe," adding that they echo the Conservative leader's efforts to bring "American-style politics" to British Columbia.
"It's a bit like a Leafs fan who says, 'If we only scored enough goals, we would have made it through the playoff round,'" Eby said.
"In my opinion, if there is something serious, Elections B.C. and the courts will find it. And if not, we'll all be able to move on."
Conservatives accepted election results
Meanwhile, the Conservative Party of B.C. is calling for a formal investigation by an independent Commission of Inquiry, pursuant to the Public Inquiry Act, into the election process as a whole.
Rustad, who told the news conference that additional alleged irregularities included voting by non-citizens, said he wanted assurances for B.C. voters that "it's only Canadian citizens who are voting" and said the review should come up with recommendations for changes to the Election Act.
He said Thursday the party is asking that all identification issued in British Columbia include a letter "C" to indicate Canadian citizenship to help Elections B.C. officers see who is eligible to vote when they show their ID.
The Conservatives plan to put forward legislation in the spring with regards to the election, the party says.
In the wake of the NDP's election victory, the party had expressed faith in the process and said it accepted the election results.
"This morning, I personally took part in counting some of the final ballots in Surrey-Guildford," read a social media post from Angelo Isidorou, the Tories' campaign manager, on Oct. 28.
"[Elections B.C.] staff were all incredibly diligent in their work and very thorough in ensuring transparency. I feel confident in their work."
I was the Campaign Manager for the Provincial Conservatives in BC.<br><br>This morning, I personally took part in counting some of the final ballots in Surrey-Guildford. <a href="https://twitter.com/ElectionsBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElectionsBC</a> staff were all incredibly diligent in their work and very thorough in ensuring transparency. <br><br>I feel…
—@angeloisidorouThe B.C. NDP had suggested an all-party committee to review Elections B.C.'s handling of the count.
Rustad opposed it and suggested an independent review of the counting instead — while asserting he wasn't disputing the outcome.
"Democracy is a delicate structure if you want to call it that," he told CBC News on Nov. 5. "And if we do not have confidence in our democratic processes, we are in serious trouble. And I don't want to be doing anything that's going to undermine the process."
B.C. Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman had defended the process in the wake of the recounts and said Elections B.C. was investigating the mistakes to "identify key lessons learned."
WATCH | B.C. attorney general says Conservatives have every right to scrutinize the results:
Rustad said the party is coming forward with their concerns now because they wanted to look into the claims first.
He also said they're required to bring concerns forward within 90 days. The final results of the recount were announced on Nov. 8, 2024.
"We need to be able to have trust in Elections B.C. and in the process," he said.
Sharma said any party has the right to bring forward concerns around elections.
"In B.C., elections are run independently by Elections B.C. to ensure a fair and independent process," she said.
"It's clear that John Rustad and his Conservatives spent a lot of time scrutinizing the results of the election, as is his right, to bring any concerns forward to Elections B.C. We expect them to treat them in the way that they would treat any complaints."
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With files from Katie DeRosa, Akshay Kulkarni and The Canadian Press