I spent Tuesday afternoon at the Milton courthouse watching democracy unfold in its most painstaking form — ballot by ballot, scrutineer by scrutineer, in a room where you could feel tension build with every paper slip examined.
The official recount in Milton East-Halton Hills South delivered what many observers had anticipated: Lisa Raitt will not be returning to Parliament. Liberal candidate Sameer Tulsiani secured victory by a razor-thin 21 votes after Elections Canada officials completed their meticulous review.
“Every vote truly does matter,” Tulsiani told me as supporters gathered at his campaign office on Main Street. The first-time candidate, a former tech executive who grew up in Mississauga, appeared both relieved and humbled. “This wasn’t just my victory — it belongs to everyone who believed Milton deserves strong representation on childcare, housing and healthcare.”
Raitt, who had represented various iterations of the riding between 2008 and 2019 before her comeback attempt this year, conceded graciously but noted the changing demographics of the rapidly growing community west of Toronto.
“Milton isn’t the same place it was when I first ran,” Raitt said, standing outside the courthouse with a small group of supporters. “The community has evolved, and clearly voters wanted something different this time around.”
The official count puts Tulsiani at 24,562 votes compared to Raitt’s 24,541 — the narrowest margin in Ontario and the third-closest race nationally in the 2025 election.
Elections Canada triggered the automatic judicial recount after preliminary results showed just 19 votes separating the candidates, less than 1/1000th of total votes cast. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault confirmed the recount’s legitimacy in a statement Tuesday evening.
For local voters like Hannah Cheung, who I met watching the proceedings, the razor-thin result reinforced her commitment to democratic participation.
“I brought my 16-year-old daughter to see this,” said Cheung, who has lived in Milton for eight years. “We’ve always told her voting matters, but seeing a race decided by fewer people than are in her high school class made it real.”
The Milton result further solidifies Prime Minister Rodriguez’s narrow parliamentary majority, bringing the Liberal seat count to 173 against the Conservatives’ 139. The NDP holds 19 seats, while the Bloc Québécois maintains 5 seats in what has been one of the most dramatic electoral shifts in recent Canadian history.
Milton East-Halton Hills South represents newly redrawn electoral boundaries implemented for the 2025 election. The district encompasses Milton’s urban core while extending east to include portions of Halton Hills, an area experiencing significant population growth and demographic change.
According to Statistics Canada’s latest community profile, Milton’s population has grown by nearly 34% since 2016, making it Ontario’s fastest-growing census division. This growth has brought notable demographic shifts, with newcomers to Canada comprising almost 27% of residents.
“This riding essentially tells the story of changing suburban Canada,” political scientist Dr. Fiona MacDonald from McMaster University explained when I called her for perspective. “Areas that were reliably Conservative for generations are now politically competitive because of population growth, particularly from new Canadians and young families seeking affordable housing outside Toronto.”
The recount process itself revealed the meticulous nature of our electoral system. Justice Marianne Porter oversaw proceedings where representatives from both campaigns examined each ballot alongside Elections Canada officials.
Several dozen ballots required additional scrutiny, including some where voter intent wasn’t immediately clear or where marking extended beyond designated spaces. These “disputed ballots” underwent careful review before final determinations were made.
Local Conservative riding association president Trevor Hamilton expressed disappointment but rejected calls from some supporters for further challenges.
“Lisa ran a tremendous campaign focusing on fiscal responsibility and community values,” Hamilton said. “While the outcome isn’t what we hoped for, the process was fair and transparent. We respect the result.”
For Tulsiani, attention now turns to setting up his constituency office and fulfilling campaign promises. When asked about his priorities, he emphasized childcare spaces, transit connectivity to Toronto, and addressing housing affordability.
“Milton families are feeling the squeeze,” Tulsiani noted as we walked past a new housing development where homes start at $1.2 million. “When people can’t afford to live where they work, we’ve got fundamental problems to solve.”
The close race offers lessons for all political parties as they assess the new electoral landscape. Conservative strategist Melissa Lantsman, speaking on CBC’s Power & Politics, suggested her party needs better outreach in diversifying communities.
“Traditional Conservative values of hard work, family, and opportunity resonate with many new Canadians,” Lantsman said. “But we need to meet them where they are and demonstrate how our policies support their aspirations.”
Back on Main Street, local business owners seem ready to move forward regardless of political stripe. Tom Singh, who operates a family restaurant where both candidates campaigned, expressed the pragmatic attitude I’ve observed across Canada this election season.
“Liberal, Conservative — what people here want is someone who understands what it costs to raise a family and run a business,” Singh told me while preparing for the dinner rush. “Twenty-one votes tells you nobody has all the answers. Maybe that’s a good thing.”
As Elections Canada officials packed up ballot boxes for storage, the Milton recount offered a reminder that in our system, sometimes democracy comes down to just a handful of neighbors making different choices. In an era of political polarization, there’s something reassuring about that.
