As a result candidates were not competing on a level - playing field in the pre-election period, and the election disputes and
appeal procedures generally did not provide the complainants with effective means to seek redress prior to the election.
Although there are many, many examples of this, another recent case, this time from the Ontario Court of
Appeal, shows that unrepresented litigants — who are
generally unfamiliar with legal
procedure — can unwittingly deprive themselves of the opportunity to assert their rights or put forward helpful evidence at the appropriate procedural juncture.