First Nation election upheld as distribution of hot dog tickets did not constitute vote buying.
The applicants challenged the results of a First Nation election, alleging that a successful candidate engaged in vote buying by handing out hot dog tickets at an advance poll, and that the electoral officer failed to properly identify voters.
The Federal Court found no contravention of the First Nations Elections Act, noting the low value of the hot dog tickets and the lack of evidence of conditional voting.
The court also held that the electoral officer complied with the relevant regulations.
The application to set aside the election was dismissed with costs.
Elections of Chief and one Councillor annulled due to serious electoral fraud involving vote buying.
The applicants challenged the validity of the March 20, 2020 Red Pheasant First Nation elections for Chief and Councillors, alleging serious electoral fraud, primarily vote buying related to mail-in ballots.
The Federal Court found that while contraventions of the First Nations Elections Act did not meet the 'magic number' test to affect the mathematical result, the conduct of the Chief and one Councillor involved serious electoral fraud that corrupted the integrity of the electoral process.
The elections of those two individuals were annulled, while the contestations against the other councillors were dismissed.
