{"id":5655,"date":"2026-01-29T13:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/?p=5655"},"modified":"2025-02-27T05:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T09:49:05","slug":"first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics","title":{"rendered":"First Election Irregularities and Voter Fraud in Ottawa: History and Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In recent decades, there has been increasing talk of <strong>election irregularities<\/strong> and <strong>voter fraud<\/strong>. Yet in many cases, there has been no definitive evidence capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny. This prompts us to consider what the <strong>first<\/strong> such violations might have looked like. <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/uk\/\"><strong>Ottawa Yes<\/strong><\/a> explores the history and political context of these early elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0caf7e054ef\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0caf7e054ef\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#History_of_the_First_Election_Violations\" >History of the First Election Violations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#What_Is_Known_About_Eastview\" >What Is Known About Eastview?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#The_First_Municipal_Election\" >The First Municipal Election<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#Judge_Gunn_How_Did_the_Voting_Really_Go\" >Judge Gunn: How Did the Voting Really Go?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#The_Extent_of_Fraud\" >The Extent of Fraud<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#The_Third_Candidate\" >The Third Candidate<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/eternal\/first-election-irregularities-and-voter-fraud-in-ottawa-history-and-politics\/#The_Verdict\" >The Verdict<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"History_of_the_First_Election_Violations\"><\/span><strong>History of the First Election Violations<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Historian <strong>James Powell<\/strong> shared a fascinating Ottawa story involving serious violations during a <strong>municipal election<\/strong> in Eastview\u2014then a suburban community next to Ottawa. The election in question was surrounded by scandals and pervasive wrongdoing. As a result, one mayor was <strong>removed from office<\/strong> by the court, while another was <strong>given a suspended sentence<\/strong>, which was later overturned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until 1969, Eastview was known as <strong>Vanier, Ontario<\/strong>, after which it became part of Ottawa. Historically, it had been a <strong>francophone working-class<\/strong> city until it was absorbed by Canada\u2019s capital in 2001. In the early 1980s, 63% of its population spoke French as a first language, but by 2012 that figure had dropped below 40%. The Vanier neighbourhood lies in the former Gloucester suburbs, covers a relatively small area, and has a notably high population density.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawayes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/02\/ad_4nxccbrfmlmujicuihq3ovbpbw7g5hpi8nv82tetxsndj0rpmjbqt4yam6gbnsrtb3tjwxyflyfdrtpyjqa71a5wwbyrkgtkj860zakewbcgb5y-axvbizhlgc7_gyxnvpmfkpe0vkey2xkabphqtuapm2sywmce1hm6.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Known_About_Eastview\"><\/span><strong>What Is Known About Eastview?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>1908<\/strong>, the communities of <strong>Janeville<\/strong>, <strong>Clarkstown<\/strong>, and <strong>ClandeBoy<\/strong> were merged, resulting in a new village called <strong>Eastview<\/strong>, officially recognized as a town in <strong>1913<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During that era, public servants looking to live <strong>farther from the city<\/strong> gravitated to Eastview. Later, a significant influx of <strong>Franco-Canadians<\/strong> turned Eastview (later Vanier) into the primary francophone area of the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the early 1930s, the Great Depression drew considerable attention to Eastview, which became a <strong>public forum<\/strong> for national debates on birth control. These debates were part of a court case that lasted from 1936 to 1937. At the time, disseminating any <strong>information or materials<\/strong> about contraception was illegal in Canada, in line with Christian beliefs. Dorothea Palmer, a 28-year-old social worker, was arrested for possessing and distributing birth-control materials and pamphlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The subsequent trial was successfully appealed, marking an important step in Canadian society\u2019s acceptance of such practices. Notably, <strong>Dorothea Palmer<\/strong> was the only individual ever prosecuted for offering city residents information about birth control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>1969<\/strong>, the town was renamed in honour of former Governor General <strong>Georges Vanier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawayes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/02\/ad_4nxck9sbqvdthg2axtyyxoynfqprxkzqaujyfuq8l4cplrspnjxzpxmh4efwr_7a9n_a7vkdiirr2ip6jpt-dtrd91sfvcduvqdjaojuynubqzpz6af9x67lc60inl1ej5acooxcxkey2xkabphqtuapm2sywmce1hm6.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_First_Municipal_Election\"><\/span><strong>The First Municipal Election<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Held on <strong>January 5, 1920<\/strong>, in Ontario, these elections were fiercely contested in Eastview. Local newspapers reported the outcome the following day: <strong>Mr. J. Herbert (Herb) White<\/strong> was elected <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/uk\/eternal\/najvidomishi-mery-ottavy\">mayor<\/a>, beating the second-place candidate by only 19 votes. White received 428 votes, while his rival, <strong>Camille Gladu<\/strong>, received 409. <strong>Mr. M. Desaut<\/strong>, finishing third, got 125 votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>J. Herbert White<\/strong> and <strong>Camille Gladu<\/strong> had long been political adversaries in Eastview. Gladu had first served as reeve (a type of local official) before becoming mayor. In the <strong>1916<\/strong> election, White defeated Gladu by 14 votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1918, both lost to Dr. Arthur Desrosiers in the 1917 and 1918 elections. In 1919, Camille Gladu returned as mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the 1920 election, Gladu claimed that the voting process was marred by serious <strong>violations<\/strong>. He alleged that some individuals voted in place of registered voters, and he also mentioned at least one instance of a single voter casting multiple ballots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of the narrow margin and these suspicious circumstances, <strong>Camille Gladu<\/strong> called for a <strong>judicial recount<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawayes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/02\/ad_4nxcdniqw9mtzmpg3pdznwv8ttvzninqkdbhy8tlca6ge8l_cgaclgprc_n2wadc8azs97w-jjznll6b6qgdwtx9tw7jg1b1xcoa40jktlaartf0gerxdc3kqyjaqm3v_6-dlh9fuzakey2xkabphqtuapm2sywmce1hm6.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Judge_Gunn_How_Did_the_Voting_Really_Go\"><\/span><strong>Judge Gunn: How Did the Voting Really Go?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon Gladu\u2019s appeal to the court, events moved quickly. Within two weeks, <strong>Judge Gunn<\/strong> presided over the opening of six Eastview ballot boxes. He was stunned to find that in four out of six boxes, the ballots were so jumbled that they <strong>could not be counted<\/strong>. As a result, the judge did not even attempt a recount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Judge Gunn described Gladu as a <strong>\u201cpublic benefactor\u201d<\/strong>, someone whose goal was to request a recount and expose election fraud. After delaying the recount, the judge tried to reach an agreement with White and Gladu\u2014either to perform another recount or to hold <strong>new elections<\/strong>\u2014but they failed to agree. Gladu then filed a motion to have the election annulled due to <strong>false or rigged results<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Extent_of_Fraud\"><\/span><strong>The Extent of Fraud<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A month later, the two opponents reappeared before the judge. During the hearing, about ten sworn statements were submitted. Several were especially revealing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scrutinizing the ballots revealed that <strong>H. Joanette<\/strong>, who was already deceased by election day, had \u201ccast\u201d a vote.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>John Brady<\/strong> admitted under oath that he voted <strong>five times<\/strong> in exchange for alcohol, which was strictly prohibited at the time. To avoid suspicion, he changed outfits each time, once donning a coachman\u2019s coat to hide his identity during his second visit to the same polling station.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>J.R. Snow<\/strong> of Toronto, who was legally on Eastview\u2019s voter list, was not actually in town on election day. Nevertheless, his vote was recorded for one of the candidates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The same happened with <strong>R.J. Dougall<\/strong> of Galt, <strong>Patrick Finnegan<\/strong>, and <strong>D. Daze<\/strong> from Montreal; although none of them were physically present in Eastview, votes were apparently cast in their names.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under the <strong>1920 voting rules<\/strong>, individuals owning real estate in Eastview had the right to vote in municipal elections regardless of where they actually lived.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawayes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/02\/ad_4nxcoigcm3qergxyfttnwitg3reqlai1kszll_v4dvvopbwwcdp7muy5rf1vuvjkyrvrmvv6c6slhyvpz4br5uuarhyh9tccswvf2zu79pwmu3zl82wlmok0espwov7qti7jjykx1cwkey2xkabphqtuapm2sywmce1hm6.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Third_Candidate\"><\/span><strong>The Third Candidate<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That role fell to <strong>Mr. M. Desaut<\/strong>. Allegations surfaced that Mr. White had put Desaut forward specifically to <strong>split the votes<\/strong> of francophone electors. This strategy would have favoured White, given that the <strong>francophone<\/strong> community outnumbered the anglophone population by roughly 100 votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also came to light that, out of about <strong>900<\/strong> names on the voter roll, roughly <strong>101<\/strong> should not have been eligible to vote. Once again, Judge Gunn ordered the opening of all six ballot boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further investigation revealed that certain polling places were left unattended for a time, as election officers vacated their posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although White was mayor, he <strong>denied all accusations<\/strong>, claiming he was unaware of any fraud or irregularities in the voter list and insisting he played no role in distributing alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawayes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/02\/ad_4nxeaobvivvsspy1in2hymig7xtbjgtrannrqdbfyw4cnvltywdp0b5u0ynlu8pwbvhlzc30trva_oshqatvnthe9gy05qijffnooygj6ahdwuzmkyfm12_4votkl2lqy7503xpg58akey2xkabphqtuapm2sywmce1hm6.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Verdict\"><\/span><strong>The Verdict<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During questioning, a man named Guilbeault admitted he had a hostile relationship with Gladu and feared losing his job if Gladu were re-elected. Ultimately, the judge annulled the election results, cancelling <strong>White\u2019s<\/strong> victory as mayor. White was not arrested but had to pay court costs. The judge also advised every member of the council to <strong>resign voluntarily<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In early May 1920, the case was closed by a representative of the <strong>Ontario Supreme Court<\/strong>, rather than Eastview\u2019s local court, following White\u2019s appeal. After that, <strong>new elections<\/strong> were scheduled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such is the story of one of the <strong>first elections<\/strong> and early violations in a small town that later became an Ottawa neighbourhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent decades, there has been increasing talk of election irregularities and voter fraud. Yet in many cases, there has been no definitive evidence capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny. This prompts us to consider what the first such violations might have looked like. Ottawa Yes explores the history and political context of these early elections. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":5672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[490],"tags":[2498,2496,2495,2500,2489,2491,2486,2488,2210,2490,2493,2497,2499,2492,2487,2494],"motype":[491],"moformat":[93],"moimportance":[100,101,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-5655","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pro-polituky","8":"tag-birth-control","9":"tag-court-removed-mayor-from-office","10":"tag-eastview-village","11":"tag-election-fraud-canada","12":"tag-election-law-of-canada","13":"tag-election-violations-ottawa","14":"tag-first-municipal-elections","15":"tag-history-of-elections-in-ottawa","16":"tag-history-of-ottawa","17":"tag-history-of-the-first-election-violations","18":"tag-scandals","19":"tag-suspended-sentence","20":"tag-vanier-district","21":"tag-verdict","22":"tag-verdict-overturned","23":"tag-violations","24":"motype-eternal","25":"moformat-longrid-korotka","26":"moimportance-aktualna-bilshe-roku","27":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","28":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5671,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5655\/revisions\/5671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5655"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=5655"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=5655"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawayes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=5655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}