Rustad calls for Commission of Inquiry into 2024 British Columbia Election

“David Eby’s path to a majority in the legislature runs through the very sketchy mail-in ballot operation conducted at Argyll Lodge in Surrey-Guildford" ~~ Honveer Singh Randhawa, Conservative Party of British Columbia candidate, 2024, Surrey-Guildford

 

‘As Attorney General in 2019 and 2021, did David Eby lay the groundwork for the situation we face today - where we may never be sure if the voters truly elected a majority government?” ~~ John Rustad, Leader of the Opposition

John Rustad, Leader of the Official Opposition, delivered new evidence today of serious voting irregularities in the 2024 British Columbia provincial election in Surrey-Guildford. Rustad is demanding the urgent appointment of a senior justice of the Supreme Court to lead a formal investigation by an independent Commission of Inquiry, pursuant to the Public Inquiry Act.

 

“As Attorney General in 2019 and 2021, did David Eby lay the groundwork for the situation we face today—where we may never be sure if the voters truly elected a majority government?” said Rustad.

Rustad presented evidence of 45 votes cast in the riding of Surrey-Guildford in the 2024 election “that fail even the most basic smell test in a democracy.”

• 21 mail-in ballot votes were cast by residents of Argyll Lodge, a licensed addiction and substance abuse recovery facility. The licensed capacity of Argyll Lodge is 25 beds.
• Argyll Lodge is across the street from Guildford Park Secondary School, the nearest polling station, located just 80 metres away.
• Some residents of Argyll Lodge deny requesting a mail-in ballot or being aware that a provincial election was even taking place.
• A resident of Argyll Lodge said they were instructed how to complete their mail-in ballot package by a third party.
• The manager of Argyll Lodge, listed in a Fraser Health inspection report bears the same name as an individual who made a $1,400 donation to the BC NDP in 2023.
• One voter in Surrey-Guildford voted twice, using two slightly different names.
• 22 voters who cast ballots in Surrey-Guildford did not reside in the riding and were not eligible to vote.

 

“A judge can compel testimony under the Public Inquiry Act,” said Rustad. “It is urgent that the individuals involved in the Argyll Lodge operation are identified and made to answer some obvious questions, such as:

• Who are the 21 individuals, residents of Argyll Lodge, listed as voting by mail?
• Did these people all, in fact, independently choose to mail in their votes, rather than crossing the street to vote secretly at the Guildford Park Secondary School polling station?
• Do the dates of birth and the signatures on the enclosing mail-in voting envelopes match the names and signatures on the identity documents of the individuals who cast the votes?
• Where were the ballots physically mailed from and when?
• Who placed the ballots in the mailbox?”
• How many Surrey-Guildford ballots were cast in polling stations across the province, from Fort St. John to Port Renfrew, pursuant to David Eby’s 2019 Election Act amendments?
• Rustad said Official Opposition researchers continue to examine connections between the management of related licensed addiction and substance facilities and NDP donors and supporters.

 

“We need an independent inquiry to get to the bottom of these election irregularities while the election is still fresh in the memories of those individuals who are said to have cast mail-in ballots, and those voters who did not actually live in Surrey-Guildford on election day,” said Rustad.

Honveer Singh Randhawa, the Conservative Party of British Columbia candidate for Surrey-Guildford in the 2024 election, also gave notice that he will file a petition in the Supreme Court of British Columbia to declare that, pursuant to the Election Act, the election of Garry Begg as MLA for Surrey Guildford is invalid, and that the office of MLA for Surrey-Guildford is vacant.

“Justice must be done, and democracy must prevail,” said Randhawa.

 

Rustad says the Commission of Inquiry must address serious systemic concerns with the election process arising from the 2024 provincial election. He said the Official Opposition will bring forward legislation in the spring session of the legislature to correct some of the glaring shortcomings identified in the election.

 

“After the election, David Eby proposed that an all-party committee of the legislature review the elections process ‘to support public confidence,” said Rustad. “Since then, Eby has done nothing, and it’s clearly too late for that.”

 

“We identify four areas that the Commission of Inquiry should address, and that we will address as the Official Opposition,” said Rustad:

1. The events in Surrey-Cuildford
2. The management of the 2024 general election by Elections BC
3. The effect of David Eby’s 2019 and 2021 amendments to the Elections Act on the overall poor outcomes of the 2024 election
4. The urgent need for proof of citizenship on the identity documents — B.C. driver’s licenses and B.C. IDs — used in provincial elections”

 

Rustad called for a 90-day amnesty from prosecution for all those who come forward with information relating to 2024 election irregularities.

 

“Our only priority is getting the truth and safeguarding our democracy.”