Where special ballot voting is used, the ballot box is opened within a few days of the writ being dropped, in other words before the ballot papers with the candidates' names are printed, and the candidate's names are written in.
In the Papineau riding, staff at the office of the returning officer made an error when entering the name of the Bloc Québécois' candidate. We filed a complaint and called upon your services, Mr. Landry. We were informed that the error had been made in good faith and that we had no reason to worry. When we referred the case to Elections Canada, they were so utterly convinced that everything was hunky dory, that they recalled the 397 people who had cast their vote in that particular ballot box and asked them to perform their civic duty again.
It was just as I expected; whenever we call upon your services, we are always told that everything is fine, there is never any cause for concern! I would like to hear what you have to say about what happened in Papineau. The candidate in question is called Viviane Barbeau, and her name was spelled incorrectly. If the candidate's name is entered inaccurately, the ballot papers are discarded. We had to file a complaint.