The BC Conservatives have called for an independent investigation into the 2024 election, citing "irregularities."
Leader John Rustad said the goal was not only to expose potential issues in that contest, but to ensure British Columbians can have faith in the process going forward.
During a press conference in Victoria on Thursday, Rustad outlined what he and his team had discovered, noting that there were "serious issues" in the riding of Surrey-Guildford.
Candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa explained that there were 45 potential irregularities in his riding, which the BC NDP won by just 22 votes.
At the centre of their claims was Argyll Lodge, a 25-bed addiction and substance abuse recovery facility in Surrey. Despite being located just 80 metres from the nearest polling station, Guildford Park Secondary School, 21 mail-in ballots were cast, allegedly by residents.
According to the party, a number of residents "deny requesting a mail-in ballot or being aware that a provincial election was even taking place." One said they had been "instructed how to complete their mail-in ballot package by a third party."
It was revealed that the manager of Argyll Lodge, as listed in a Fraser Health inspection report, has the same name as someone who made a $1,400 donation to the BC NDP in 2023.
The party also alleged that one voter in Surrey-Guildford "voted twice, using two slightly different names," and that 22 voters "did not reside in the riding and were not eligible to vote."
"A judge can compel testimony under the Public Inquiry Act," Rustad said. "It is urgent that the individuals involved in the Argyll Lodge operation are identified and made to answer some obvious questions."
The questions he and the party want answered pertain to whether those who live at Argyll Lodge actually, knowingly acted to mail in their ballots, and whether their information was on the documents in question.
"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," Rustad added.