The Supreme Court of Canada will issue a precedent setting ruling Thursday morning that could affect the administration of all future elections in the country.

Canada's highest court will issue its ruling on whether Conservative MP Ted Opitz legitimately won his seat in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre in the May 2011 federal election. Opitz is appealing an Ontario Superior Court ruling that set aside his narrow, 26-vote victory over Liberal incumbent Borys Wrzesnewskyj, after identifying procedural irregularities with 79 ballots.
    
It will be first time the Supreme Court has ruled on the validity of an election result in a federal riding in the modern era under the current Canada Elections Act. The ruling will be precedent-setting because it is expected to set out clear rules on when the courts ought to involve themselves in reviewing tight election races (and when they should not.)

The court will have to decide whether polling officials made errors and, if so, whether those errors had an impact on the final result.

(The Canadian Press)