THUNDER BAY – Elections Act: Section 329 — “No person shall transmit the result or purported result of the vote in an electoral district to the public in another electoral district before the close of all of the polling stations in that other electoral district”. (http://elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=loi/fel/cea&document=part16&lang=e&#sec329)
To that end, Elections Canada has issued a warning to people using Facebook, Twitter or other social media not to distribute information that will disclose the results of any of the results.
This is a section of the legislation which Elections Canada appears very willing to enforce. With the growth of Twitter, Elections Canada may have their work cut out for them.
However from 5:PM until 10PM today, all election related comments on NNL stories will be held in moderation mode as a means of following Section 329.
A task perhaps for the newly elected MPs might be seeking to bring this section of the Elections Act into the modern world.
In the United States, election results are broadcast, starting with the exit polling information and polling results as quickly as they are avaliable. That does not seem to impact American elections.
The idea that people in Western Canada would either run on mass to the polls, or stay home based on Ontario, Quebec or Maritime results is simply outdated.
Those who want to know can likely find out anyhow, all it would take is a telephone call or email to a friend. Unless Elections Canada seeks to shut down the telephone system and Internet in their efforts, Section 329 is basically a law that has outgrown its value.
James Murray