Elections Canada declined over 43,000 mail-in ballots received after the April 28 election's 6 pm Eastern deadline, according to Blacklock’s. The agency did not specify the ridings where these "late" ballots were cast, in an election that led to judicial recounts in four ridings. 

The House Affairs Committee is scheduled to review management of the general election this fall, with Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault summoned to explain irregularities: a Liberal win in Terrebonne due to mislabelled ballots, and a Liberal gain in Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou amid unexplained poll closures with a low 47.6% voter turnout.

“We are demanding transparency from Elections Canada,” Bloc MP Sébastien Lemire said June 2. “It should be accountable to voters.”

The figures came from an Access to Information query that uncovered 584,316 mail-in ballots after 618,612 requests. However, only 466,058 were returned and counted, leaving 118,258 uncounted, with 43,455 (37%) marked "late."

Elections Canada couldn't confirm if mail-in ballots were sent with sufficient time for return, stating they lack "tracking mechanisms" for daily special ballot kit dispatches.

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It's unknown if the 43,455 "late" ballots impacted results. Four judicial recounts occurred in Terra Nova-The Peninsula, Nfld. and Labrador; Milton East-Halton Hills South; Windsor-Tecumseh Lakeshore, Ontario; and Terrebonne, Quebec.

The Terrebonne recount resulted in a one-vote Liberal majority over the Bloc Québécois, the closest federal campaign outcome since 1963. The Bloc is challenging this in court. 

Elections Canada later admitted to mislabelling Terrebonne mail-in ballots and apologized for mishandling 822 uncounted mail-in ballots in Coquitlam, B.C.

Bloc Québécois MPs are demanding parliamentary scrutiny of Elections Canada due to random poll closures and discounted mail-in ballots.

READ MORE: https://t.co/d42ti8xnf3 pic.twitter.com/5Q2z635b9l

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 4, 2025

This isn't the first time such an occurrence has taken place, either. Electoral Officer Perrault admitted to "unfortunate" irregularities, including late ballots, in the 2021 general election, testifying to this at 2022 House affairs committee hearings. 

Blacklock’s reported in 2021 that 123,000 voters applied for mail-in ballots but didn't receive them in time. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Michel Roussel acknowledged the issue, stating, "Ballots mailed out five days, six days before the election date, that’s a tight deadline.” Another 90,000 ballots were “returned late and not counted.”

.@ElectionsCan_E confirms it never counted 43,000 mail-in ballots deemed "late" but won't say where they were cast or when they were mailed out in the first place: "There are no tracking mechanisms."  https://t.co/9OAVLMPQrl #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/fWcXmE6K83

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) September 8, 2025

The Report On The 44th General Election by Election Canada highlighted irregularities, including 1,589 special ballots from Mississauga-Streetsville found in a commercial mail room after the September 20 deadline, remaining uncounted.

Elections Canada received 9,410 complaints regarding the 2021 election, primarily concerning accessibility, voter experience, long lines, poll worker interactions, and special ballot voting.

Liberal members of the House Affairs Committee proposed smartphone voting. The committee rejected the proposal 6-5, with Bloc Québécois MPs citing concerns about voter identity verification and fraud.