Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Federal election: Battleground riding of Edmonton Centre still up in the air with special ballot count carrying over to Wednesday

Edmonton Centre

Elected
* Previous member

Polls: 208/209
Voters: 81,766
Turnout: 46,534 (56.91%)

LIB: Randy Boissonnault
15,454
CON: James Cumming *
15,318
NDP: Heather MacKenzie
13,363
PPC: Brock Crocker
2,037
LTN: Valerie Keefe
256
CPC-ML: Merryn Edwards
106

Dustin Cook

© Provided by Edmonton Journal Edmonton Centre Liberal candidate Randy Boissonnault in his campaign office on Monday. A final result still hasn't been declared in the tight race Tuesday as special ballot counting is expected to carry over to Wednesday.

The tightly contested race in the federal riding of Edmonton Centre remains up in the air as the count for a record number of special ballots is expected to carry on into Wednesday.

As of Tuesday morning, Liberal candidate Randy Boissonnault had a razor-thin lead of 136 votes over Conservative incumbent James Cumming with more than 2,200 special ballots still needing to be counted.

Special ballots that were submitted by voters living in their riding started being counted Tuesday morning across the country, but results haven’t been finalized for the riding as of press time. Elections Canada media adviser Leanne Nyirfa initially told Postmedia the expectation was that most results would be reported by end of day Tuesday, but then said the results for close races likely wouldn’t be released until Wednesday.

A record number of special, or mail-in, ballots were issued this election as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which led to a longer verification process before the ballots could be counted to ensure residents didn’t already cast their vote in person, Nyirfa said. More than one million mail-in voting kits were issued this election for voters living within their own riding who decided not to vote in person, a drastic increase from only 5,000 in 2019.

“The count can only begin after the verification process is complete. We’ve always said two to four days for the results to be posted. With the numbers here in Alberta, we’re thinking two is more accurate,” she said in a statement to Postmedia.

With the mail-in ballots still being tabulated, Boissonnault said he is waiting patiently for the results and looking forward to getting more details Wednesday.

“We are very excited and very confident about what we have seen in the results so far,” he said on social media. “Thanks to everyone whose hard work has gotten us this far.”

If Boissonnault holds onto the lead, he will be Edmonton’s only representative in the governing Liberal party that won a minority Monday night.

Responding to the election results Tuesday, Mayor Don Iveson said Edmonton would continue to be at a disadvantage without a voice at the cabinet table, or at least in government, as has been since 2019.

“I am concerned about the prospect of the city not having a voice at the table again for some number of years in Ottawa at the cabinet level,” he said. “It has been challenging for the City of Edmonton to not have that voice at the table.”

The race in one other Edmonton riding is still mathematically close enough to change hands on the special ballot count, but has been declared by news outlets. In Edmonton Griesbach, NDP challenger Blake Desjarlais was declared the winner by The Canadian Press with a 1,017-vote lead over two-term incumbent Kerry Diotte.

Desjarlais didn’t speak to media Tuesday, but issued a statement on social media about what the preliminary results show.

“I’m deeply honoured by the confidence that the voters of Edmonton Griesbach have shown in me and in the NDP,” he said. “I will always fight for you. I will always show up.”

The special ballot vote count in Edmonton Mill Woods wrapped up Tuesday with incumbent Tim Uppal officially declared the winner with 1,759 more votes than Liberal challenger Ben Henderson.

Henderson, four-term Ward 8 city councillor, will return to his city hall post until the municipal election next month.


MAYOR IVESON; Edmonton could again be without a voice in federal cabinet if no ridings turn Liberal

Dustin Cook 
© Provided by Edmonton Journal Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson.

Edmonton may again be without a voice at the cabinet table if a riding doesn’t turn Liberal.

No candidates representing the elected Liberal party in Monday’s federal election were declared elected in Edmonton as of press time. If nothing changes, this will be the second-straight race the governing party is shut out of Alberta’s capital. Edmonton hasn’t had a seat at the cabinet table since the 2019 election when the two Liberal seats in the city turned blue.

Ward 1 Edmonton Coun. Andrew Knack said a lack of representation in cabinet is concerning, but he said this makes electing a strong voice for mayor in the upcoming municipal election all the more important. Mayor Don Iveson has served as the chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Big City Mayors’ Caucus for the past few years, which Knack said was key in advocating for important issues in Edmonton, such as transit and affordable housing.

“You think about the last few years while there hasn’t been a Liberal member of Parliament in Edmonton, we had a mayor who was the chair of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus and was able to really advocate for critical issues within the city of Edmonton and I think that will likely reinforce the importance of having people who are able to be vocal to the other orders of government to help bring the Edmonton issues to the forefront,” Knack said in an interview with Postmedia Monday evening.

“If we don’t have a voice in government, we as a council need to continue to be that voice for the people of Edmonton and quite frankly more broadly even across Alberta.”

Iveson didn’t comment on the election results as of press time but has been championing the Vote Housing campaign, asking federal parties to support ending homelessness and increasing the supply of affordable housing. The Edmonton mayor also endorsed Liberal candidate Ben Henderson in Edmonton Mill Woods, but said the endorsement was specifically for Henderson, who he has served on council with since 2007, and not for the party as a whole.

In a statement Monday evening, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jeffrey Sundquist said the chamber looks forward to working with the Liberal government on revitalizing the country’s economy through the COVID-19 pandemic and make advancements on issues such as climate change and trade barriers.

“Businesses demonstrated their resilience during some of the most challenging economic times in recent history,” Sundquist said in a statement. “Our priorities reflect a need to keep Canadians safe, stimulate our economy, and ensure investment in Alberta that allows us to use our strengths, resources and innovation to lead the way in achieving a more prosperous and sustainable future.”

There was still a close race in Edmonton Centre as of Tuesday morning with the Liberal challenger Randy Boissonnault ahead of Conservative incumbent James Cumming by a thin margin with mail-in ballots still needing to be counted. Conservative incumbent Tim Uppal was declared the winner in a tight race in Edmonton Mill Woods against Liberal candidate and four-term city councillor Ben Henderson.

duscook@postmedia.com

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