Here's why you'll still see Raj Saini's name on the Kitchener Centre ballot
Raj Saini, the incumbent Member of Parliament in Kitchener Centre since 2015, has dropped out of the 2021 federal election following allegations of misconduct.
With voters heading to the polls in less than two weeks, some residents in that area are left confused about what this will mean on election day.
“I do have vote Liberal most times, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” said one resident.
Saini’s name will still be on the ballot even though he dropped out. Elections Canada confirmed the deadline to remove a candidate was Aug. 30. The ballots are already printed ahead of advance polling from Sept. 10 to 13.
“I think it’ll be frustrating for voters if they don’t have a candidate, but these are the electoral rules,” said Anna Esselment, a political science professor at the University of Waterloo.
Since Saini is still an option, there is a chance he could still win. Esselment said there are a number of different scenarios that could play out if he receives the most votes.
Saini could win and then resign the seat, which would force a byelection. That process could take anywhere from weeks to months, according to the political science professor.
Some residents aren’t a fan of a byelection.
“Because it would cost more money and you want to get the election over with,” said one Kitchener resident.
Another possible scenario is Saini wins and doesn’t resign. But, experts said he would then sit as an independent and not represent the Liberals.
On Sunday, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau confirmed Saini would not be a member of the Liberal caucus, regardless of what happens.
Esselment suggested constituents in Kitchener Centre who don’t want a byelection but typically support the Liberal party, throw their vote in a different direction.
“Whatever is the nearest party for either their ideal logical or partisan persuasion,” Esselment said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'