February 13, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
In a rare and politically charged decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has annulled the result of the 2025 federal election in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne, overturning a Liberal Party win by just one vote and setting the stage for a federal byelection that could influence the balance of power in Ottawa.
The court’s ruling on February 13, 2026 invalidates the election of Tatiana Auguste, the Liberal candidate who had been declared the winner by a single vote in the April 28, 2025 general election. That result had itself been the subject of intense scrutiny, multiple recounts, and legal challenges.
The controversy began after the original vote count showed Auguste narrowly ahead of Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné of the Bloc Québécois by one vote one of the closest federal races in recent Canadian history. However, it later emerged that at least one mail-in ballot cast for Sinclair-Desgagné had been returned to voter and not counted due to a postal code error on the envelope supplied by Elections Canada.
Sinclair-Desgagné challenged the result in court, arguing the ballot mishandling could have affected the outcome. After procedural setbacks in lower courts, her appeal reached the Supreme Court, which agreed that the integrity of the electoral result was compromised and nullified the outcome, effectively vacating the seat.
The annulment of the Terrebonne result has broader parliamentary significance. The seat had been a razor-thin gain for the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, in what remains a minority government. The loss of the seat pushes the Liberals further from securing a majority and heightens the importance of upcoming byelections.
With at least three other vacant seats in the House of Commons including two in Toronto the timing of the byelection in Terrebonne will be watched closely by all major parties. The decision on when to call the votes rests with the prime minister, but observers expect the government and opposition parties to mobilize rapidly.
What Happens Next
The Supreme Court’s decision triggers standard procedures for declaring a parliamentary seat vacant and organizing a byelection. Residents of Terrebonne will return to the polls in the coming months, and national political parties are already preparing strategies for the race.
For many Canadians, the ruling underscores the critical impact of even a single ballot and the legal safeguards that protect electoral integrity. In an era where democratic legitimacy faces global pressures, the court’s intervention in such a tight contest resonates far beyond Quebec’s borders.