A postal code error detected three weeks before the vote may have cost Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné victory in Terrebonne, a federal electoral district in Montreal's north suburbs. To make matters worse, the employee responsible failed to notify the electoral director or affected voters, as reported by La Presse.

Mario Sabourin, a former point-of-service supervisor in Terrebonne during the last federal election, states in a court affidavit that he inadvertently made a mistake. He had written his own postal code, not that of the polling station, on the labels for pre-paid envelopes.

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Sabourin realized this error around April 6, after receiving a kit with a special completed ballot.

Incumbent MP Sinclair-Desgagné is disputing the election results in Superior Court after losing her seat by one vote to Tatiana Auguste. A ballot with an incorrect postal code, mailed three weeks prior but returned to the voter four days after the April 28 vote, could have tied the election, forcing a new one, had it been counted.

Emmanuelle Bossé stated she did not write the address, but Elections Canada provided the pre-addressed envelope. Bossé mailed her ballot on April 5, before the April 28 deadline, but it was returned on May 2.

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

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— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 4, 2025

Sabourin clarified that he "immediately rectified the situation by printing new labels" with the correct postal code for the remaining kits and destroying those with the wrong address but did not warn his superior Claude Martel.

"At that time, I did not think it was good to inform [my superior] of the situation since we received kits daily," he argued.

Sabourin, a three-time point-of-service supervisor since 2019, found the special ballot return rate "normal," comparable to past elections. He reportedly mishandled 40 to 60 ballots.

Elections Canada declined to comment on its employee's conduct due to ongoing court proceedings. Spokesperson Matthew McKenna stated that election workers are generally required to report any issues affecting voters or their ability to vote.

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Terrebonne ballot director Claude Martel was notified of a vote counting error on May 12, two weeks after the vote, by a Noovo journalist who reported a Bloc Québécois vote was uncounted.

Five late ballots in Terrebonne were uncounted due to a postal code error, Noovo Info reported.

"Before my exchanges with the journalist and Mr. Sabourin, the rate of return of votes by special ballot by mail being the norm of previous elections, it was impossible for me to suspect that an error had been made in the preparation of the voting kits by special ballot," Martel said.

Of 116 kit requests, 83 ballots were returned on time, five late, and nine voters chose to vote in person. Ultimately, 19 ballots were not returned, with no indication if a postal code error was a factor. Terrebonne's special ballot return rate was 71.55%, below the national average of 78%.

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Elections director Stéphane Perrault blamed special ballots for straining the electoral system. He will testify Thursday before the Parliamentary Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Following media reports of voting irregularities in special ballots across Terrebonne, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, leading to four judicial recounts last election, the agency is reviewing training, controls, and special ballot processes for corrections.

Elections Canada stated this is the sole known instance of a marked ballot being returned to a voter due to an incorrect address, referring to Bossé.

A judge will rule on the Terrebonne election dispute, where a single vote difference necessitates a legal decision. If Bossé's Bloc vote is counted, a by-election is probable. 

The close vote count in Terrebonne caused two weeks of emotional highs and lows for the candidates, each declared the winner at different points.

Auguste won Terrebonne by one vote (23,352 to 23,351) after an automatic recount, as reported by the Canadian Press. The recount, triggered by the close margin (less than 0.1%), added 74 valid votes and slightly changed other candidates' totals.

Hearings begin October 20 before Judge Éric Dufour at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.