Canada’s Liberal Party wins one more seat after Quebec recount

A single vote in a Quebec riding has brought Canada’s Liberal Party one seat closer to holding a majority in parliament.

A judicial recount in the Terrebone riding declared Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste the victor with 23,352 votes, ahead of Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who received 23,351.

The result gives the Liberal Party 170 seats in the House of Commons, two seats shy of the 172 required for a majority.

In a statement on social media, Auguste thanked the citizens of Terrebone for their trust and promised to “get to work”.

Canada’s election rules require a recount if a candidates wins by less than 0.1% of the votes cast.

Officials had initially called Terrebone for Auguste the day after the election, but during the validation process – which is when Election Canada confirms numbers but does not recount votes – Sinclair-Desgagné had taken the lead.

Superior Court of Quebec Justice Danielle Turcotte oversaw the recount.

Recounts are underway in three other ridings, according to the CBC.

The Terrebone result adds to the political comeback for the Liberal Party in Canada, which earlier this year seemed destined for an electoral drumming.

However, Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the subsequent trade war he sparked with Canada turned the country’s 28 April election into a referendum on how its leadership would deal with the United States.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won enough seats to form a government, but was three seats shy of an outright majority.

As results stand, the Conservative Party has 144 seats, the Bloc Québécois has 21, the NDP has seven, and the Green Party holds one seat.