Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. Photo courtesy of Manfred Joehnck.
The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal is promising a speedy decision on a challenge of last year’s election results on the George Gordon First Nation.
It was a full day of legal and a packed courtroom as lawyers pitched their perspectives to a three-member appeal court panel.
The appeal was launched by the chief and band council after their election was declared invalid last October by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge.
The initial Queen’s Bench challenge was initiated by band member Solomon Cyr, who cited numerous allegations of election wrongdoing.
The Queen’s Bench judge found no fraud, but concluded there were 31 ballots that were unaccounted for and they could have changed the election outcome. As a result, she ordered a new vote.
The Court of Appeal will now decide if the Queen’s Bench ruling should stand and a new election be held, or if last year’s election results should be left as is.
The chief and council have already been in office for almost a year.
The lawyers found themselves under the gun from the appeal court justices who at times scolded them for going off topic or trying to argue about things that were not in evidence.
Cyr is also seeking court costs. That matter will be dealt with at a later date.