Green candidate withdraws hours before election

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This article was published 03/10/2023 (735 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Green candidate for Steinbach withdrew her candidacy less than 24 hours before the polls opened Tuesday.

Elections Manitoba made the announcement the morning of the election, about a half-hour before the polls opened at 8 a.m.

Any votes cast for Gabrielle Simard-Nadeau during advance voting or on election day will be counted as rejected.

Elections Manitoba spokesman Jack Rach said the agency did not yet know on Tuesday how many votes might have been cast for Simard-Nadeau during advanced voting because the ballots had not yet been counted.

Elections Manitoba said it posted notices of Simard-Nadeau’s withdrawal at all polling places in the Steinbach division.

Green party Leader Janine Gibson said Simard-Nadeau informed her she was withdrawing from the race late Monday over an issue regarding her registration as a candidate.

“She made a mistake that she felt really badly about in the registration process and she decided to withdraw,” Gibson said. “She didn’t disclose (the issue), she just said that she’d made a mistake.”

Gibson said she wished the Steinbach candidate had not withdrawn but added she was impressed Simard-Nadeau, who Gibson described as a young mother and a busy farmer, registered to run in the first place.

Gibson said she is not concerned about the effect lost votes will have on the party.

“I’m not concerned at this point. At this point, I’m concerned for our candidate, that she’s OK, that she’s done what’s best for her to do,” Gibson said.

“It’s disappointing, but we’re a young party still in growth and development, so this kind of thing is somewhat to be expected. We’re all just learning… some of us have more experience than others, so I’m learning that bringing the young ones along takes a little more support.”

“It’s disappointing, but we’re a young party still in growth and development, so this kind of thing is somewhat to be expected.”–Green party Leader Janine Gibson

Simard-Nadeau could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Candidates and parties are eligible for reimbursement of up to 25 per cent of certain election expenses from Elections Manitoba, if the candidate receives five per cent of valid votes in their division, or if the party receives five per cent of valid votes in each division it endorsed a candidate in.

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Any votes for Simard-Nadeau won’t count as valid and therefore won’t be eligible for reimbursement, Elections Manitoba confirmed.

Elections Manitoba spokesman Mike Ambrose said the agency did not have information on hand Tuesday to answer whether a provincial election candidate has ever withdrawn from the race so close to election day.

He said the Elections Act allows any candidate to withdraw anytime before election day by filing a signed declaration with the returning officer.

In contrast, under the federal Canada Elections Act, a candidate is only able to withdraw before 5 p.m. on the closing day for nominations.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.  Read more about Erik.

Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.