Voter fraud alleged in Toronto riding

TORONTO — Elections Canada may or may not be investigating allegations of voter fraud in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence during the 2011 federal election.

A March 7 CBC News report unearthed evidence that some 2,700 unregistered voters got on the voters’ list late in the campaign in the north Toronto riding. Many did so by providing either false addresses or no addresses at all on their voting cards, which is in violation of Elections Canada rules, CBC reported.

TORONTO — Elections Canada may or may not be investigating allegations of voter fraud in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence during the 2011 federal election.

A March 7 CBC News report unearthed evidence that some 2,700 unregistered voters got on the voters’ list late in the campaign in the north Toronto riding. Many did so by providing either false addresses or no addresses at all on their voting cards, which is in violation of Elections Canada rules, CBC reported.

Conservative Party candidate Joe Oliver won the riding by more than 4,000 votes over longtime Liberal MP Joe Volpe.

Diane Benson, a spokesperson for Elections Canada, told The CJN it’s policy to “not deny nor confirm” whether her agency is investigating the allegations.

Oliver did not respond to requests for comment by the The CJN's deadline. He told reporters last week he would co-operate with Elections Canada if it decides to launch an investigation, but said he had not been contacted by the federal elections body.

Marianna Gagliardo, a constituency assistant at Oliver’s riding office, said she was aware of the allegations but as of last Friday had not been contacted by Elections Canada about the matter.

Meanwhile, Volpe has referred all questions on the subject to his lawyer, Tony Pascale.

Neither Volpe nor Pascale could be reached for comment, but Pascale told CBC last week that he wanted Elections Canada to investigate, because there were “an inordinately high number of voters registering who were not on the voters list in order to cast ballots.”

Volpe had held Eglinton-Lawrence for the Liberals since 1988.

According to the 2006 census, the riding has a population of about 110,000, 39 per cent of whom were immigrants. About 17 per cent were Jewish and 11 per cent Italian.

Author

Support Our Mission: Make a Difference!

The Canadian Jewish News is now a Registered Journalism Organization (RJO) as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. To keep our newsletter and quarterly magazine free of charge, we’re asking for individual monthly donations of $10 or more. As our thanks, you’ll receive tax receipts and our gratitude for helping continue our mission. If you have any questions about the donation process, please write to [email protected].

Support the Media that Speaks to You

Jewish Canadians deserve more than social media rumours, adversarial action alerts, and reporting with biases that are often undisclosed. The Canadian Jewish News proudly offers independent national coverage on issues that matter, sparking conversations that bridge generations. 

It’s an outlet you can count on—but we’re also counting on you.

Please support Jewish journalism that’s creative, innovative, and dedicated to breaking new ground to serve your community, while building on media traditions of the past 65 years. As a Registered Journalism Organization, contributions of any size are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.Â