Every vote matters, but in the federal riding of Terrebonne, Quebec, the importance of each ballot has taken on a new meaning. In a recent election, a single vote made the difference between victory and defeat, highlighting the complexities of the electoral process.

Terrebonne has a rich electoral history, dating back to its first elected Member of Parliament, Louis-Rodrigue Masson, in 1867. Over the years, the riding has seen representation from various political parties, including the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois. Notably, the riding was dissolved in 1997 and reestablished in 2015. In recent elections, Bloc Québécois candidates held the seat with comfortable margins.

However, the April 28 election brought unexpected results. Initially, Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste was declared the winner by a narrow margin of 35 votes over Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné. This result was quickly overturned during the validation process by Elections Canada, which found Sinclair-Desgagné ahead by 44 votes. A recount was triggered due to the close margin, which was less than 0.1 percent.

When the recount concluded on May 10, Auguste was ultimately declared the winner with 23,352 votes to Sinclair-Desgagné's 23,351, a margin of just one vote. This outcome is unprecedented in Canadian federal election history.

The situation became even more complicated when it was revealed that a mail-in ballot from a Terrebonne resident, Emmanuelle Bossé, was returned to her after being sent to the wrong address. Bossé stated, "I wasn’t the one who got Elections Canada’s address wrong on the envelope. Elections Canada glued this label on the envelope. I had nothing to fill. I just had to put my vote in there." Bossé had voted for Sinclair-Desgagné, and her ballot could have changed the election's outcome.

Elections Canada maintains that the results of a judicial recount are final and cannot be altered. However, this incident raises questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the potential for human error to impact election results. The case of Terrebonne serves as a reminder of the significance of every vote and the complexities involved in the electoral system.