Hon. Rodger Cuzner: The results of the forty-fifth federal election are now in the books, and there are two features that arise from it that provide me with a great deal of certainty.
First, like several of my colleagues, I have experienced a number of past elections from the other side as a candidate for a seat in the House of Commons, staying up late into the night with family, friends and supporters in hopes of embracing a positive result.
What I know with great certainty is this past election night was far more relaxing from my current parliamentary perspective, as I looked forward to hearing those three comforting words the day after the election: “Good morning, senator.”
The second thing I’m certain of, colleagues, is that Canadians can be confident that our federal elections are run in a fair and honest manner, and this is because of the professional and non‑partisan work of Elections Canada. I will share just two examples that reinforce my confidence.
First, there is the riding of Carleton, here in Ottawa, which was held for 20 years by the former leader of the official opposition, Pierre Poilievre, who was defeated by Bruce Fanjoy by 4,513 votes. To his credit, Mr. Poilievre conceded the election that night and eventually congratulated Mr. Fanjoy.
Predictably, the keyboard warriors flooded social media with conspiracy theories in order to sow doubt in the legitimacy of the outcome. I commend the Conservative Party of Canada for not taking the bait in pursuing a frivolous challenge.
The second example was in the riding of Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, where on election night, the Liberal candidate Anthony Germain was the announced winner by just 12 votes. After the validation count, an automatic judicial review was undertaken. I encourage all senators to speak with our colleague Senator Manning who was part of that process.
When I spoke to my friend about the review, his comments to me were, “I could not imagine a more open, fair and accountable process like the one that we went through.”
In the end, the election night decision was overturned, and the Conservative candidate Jonathan Rowe was determined the winner, coincidentally by 12 votes. Mr. Germain spoke with Mr. Rowe, congratulated him and wished him the best of luck in his new post.
The judicial recount was a week-long exercise that summoned considerable human resources and financial costs, but in the end, the people of Terra Nova–The Peninsulas, and indeed all Canadians, can be assured the process was fair and accurate.
It is a massive undertaking by Elections Canada to mount an election, a snap election at that, which also saw the largest voter turnout in Canada since 1993. The logistics are staggering. Yet, due to the dedication of 240,000 Canadians who tirelessly worked to ensure the success of Election 2025, Canadians can take pride in the strength of our electoral process.
Colleagues, when we continue to watch what’s happening to our friends south of the border, with a reported 34% of election workers receiving threats of physical violence and death and the incessant attacks on the institutions that provide foundations to a democracy, know that ours remains strong and true. It’s not perfect, and we can never be smug or complacent, but, senators, we remain steadfast —
The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you so much.
Senator Cuzner: Thank you.
Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.