CONS misleading voters? Say it ain't so. RCMP involved

[econovan64]

Proof is in the pudding
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/692946--aborted-fake-robocalls-likely-aimed-to-annoy-voters

Aborted fake robocalls likely aimed to annoy voters

Those responsible for the “Pierre Poutine” robocalls prepared another voice message that seems to have been intended to annoy voters in Guelph.

A sworn statement by Al Mathews, the Elections Canada investigator leading the probe into robocalls, says the message “had the appearance of being in support of the Frank Valeriote (Liberal Party) campaign in Guelph,” media reported Saturday.

This message was to have been sent in the middle of the night.

The Globe and Mail reported the unknown operative set up a fake caller ID that would have shown the late-night robocalls as coming from Frank Valeriote’s Liberal campaign office.

The fake message was uploaded to Edmonton voice-blasting company RackNine, the National Post reported citing court records, but never sent out.

Liberals from a number of ridings have complained of phony calls at odd hours claiming to represent the Liberal Party.

In this latest court filing Mathews said the unknown operative uploaded 6,738 telephone numbers to the RackNine system, the Globe and Mail reported. These were primarily 519 area code numbers.

[Glacier]

[econovan64]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=O5tkPBysJQY[/youtube]

Excellent video. Conservative front man Dean Del Mastro is coming across like he really has something very big to hide. Will he ever come clean? Will he ever give a straight answer? Not likely.

Even Preston Manning, the patriarch of the modern-day Conservative movement in Canada, said the robocall vote-suppression scandal that's rocking Canadian politics is "deplorable" tactics and a problem that all parties need to try to eradicate.

http://www.canada.com/news/Preston+Manning+Robocalls+deplorable/6278002/story.html

Manning also noted new poll results released Friday by his centre demonstrate Canadians' perception of politicians "is bordering on contempt" — which poses problems for all parties, particularly the government.....

Speaking to reporters, Manning said all parties should be worried about robocall vote-suppression efforts during the 2011 election that directed some voters to the wrong polling stations and has Elections Canada investigating complaints of voter fraud.

"I think it's deplorable, those types of tactics. I've spent my life trying to get people to participate more in the political process, for them to vote more, and the fact that people are trying to work in the opposite direction is deplorable," Manning said....

"I think it should be a concern to everybody and you can find illustrations of people who play close to the edge in every political party."

The robocall controversy is continuing to erode public confidence in politicians, Manning said, as his centre released new polling numbers on the state of politics and the conservative movement in Canada.

The online poll of 2,067 Canadians, conducted from Feb. 10 to 20, found only one per cent of respondents have a very favourable opinion toward politicians, while 58 per cent said politicians are unprincipled.

The survey has a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points, 95 times out of 100.

Manning said low public opinion of politicians is troublesome for all parties, but especially the government, because there's a trickle-down effect to whichever party is in power.

"They (the Conservatives) have to worry and all the politicians have to worry about this declining respect — it's bordering on contempt for political people," he said.

"If people don't respect and don't like politicians, they're going to rate that government, no matter what it does, low," he said. "They all have a challenge to try to alter that perception."

Harper on the other hand seems quite content, even smug, about turning off more voters from participating in democracy. Harper is likely to become the least popular Prime Minister of all time. The contempt by a majority of Canadians is for him.

[econovan64]

Robocalls trigger legal challenges in 7 ridings

The election results in seven federal ridings are being challenged in court because of robocalls that voters say tried to misdirect them to wrong polling stations.

The Council of Canadians is supporting the legal action, launched by nine individuals, that was filed in accordance with the Elections Canada Act. The legislation allows any voter that is eligible to cast a ballot in his or her riding to contest election results on the grounds that there were irregularities, fraud or corrupt or illegal practices that affected the result of the election.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/03/27/pol-robocalls-legal-challenge.html

[oneh2obabe]

OTTAWA—The investigation into misleading calls to voters in last year’s federal election now reaches into about 200 ridings across Canada, the chief electoral officer says.

Marc Mayrand repeatedly told a Commons committee on Thursday that he is seriously troubled by the alleged assault on democracy — an “absolutely outrageous” offence if proven true, even if it’s just one case.


But he dispelled suggestions that the probe was dealing with only a few isolated incidents, such as in Guelph, where the probe began and has now significantly widened.

“I can tell you that the 800 complaints or so cut across pretty much the whole country,” Mayrand said, in his first public appearance since the so-called “robocalls” controversy erupted more than a month ago.

“If you ask me, it’s 10 provinces and one territory.”

Mayrand has promised to submit a report on the so-called “robocalls” affair “within a year,” though it is possible that the official investigation, led by Canada’s Elections Commissioner, will have laid formal charges by then. Mayrand and the commissioner are also due to deliver yet another update to the Commons procedure and ethics committee before the summer.

Elections Canada has been looking into reports since last May of phone calls received by voters, in which people masquerading as elections officials were directing people to wrong or non-existent polling stations.

The investigation exploded into a full-fledged political scandal in February, when news reports revealed a Conservative party connection — the callers’ lists somehow obtained from a firm employed by the governing party to make legitimate “robocalls” to voters.

The Conservative party has insisted it did not know of the fraudulent calls, nor direct them. But it has also been trying to tamp down the controversy since it began, describing it variously as a “smear campaign” or a plot by Liberal or rogue operatives.

At the committee meeting on Thursday, Conservative MPs were also looking to play down the scope of the robocalls affair, with MP John Williamson (New Brunswick Southwest) saying that 800 complaints amounted to several per riding and Tom Lukiwski (Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre) saying he was heartened to hear that Mayrand stood by the results of the May 2 election.

“Remember, these are complaints. They are unfounded at this time,” Lukiwski told reporters after Mayrand’s testimony.

Opposition MPs, however, are saying that it’s important to keep the public’s attention on the alleged interference in the last election.

“I think Canadians smell a giant rat,” Liberal MP Marc Garneau (Westmount-Ville Marie) said to reporters.

“We’re going to stay on this file,” said NDP MP David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre), promising that his party wouldn’t let the issue fade from scrutiny in Ottawa.

Mayrand was at the committee because he had asked for a chance to speak publicly and reassure Canadians that their electoral system — and potential harm to it — was being protected and taken seriously.

The Conservative majority on the committee replied to the request by booking Mayrand on Thursday — budget day, when most of Ottawa’s attention was directed elsewhere and reporters were “locked up” with the budget documents in advance of their release.

Still, the committee room was standing-room only on Thursday morning. Mayrand told reporters he would have been free to come at any day the committee requested.


--Susan Delacourt Ottawa Bureau

[econovan64]

Today Tories schedule hearing during the federal budget ‘media lock-up’

7,000 calls made from Pierre Putines 450-760-7746 number and 70 complaints. Thats one % that complained.
Elections Canada has now received over 800 complaints so 80000 robocalls then?
There are 250 files open in the commissioners office. Elections Canada funding will be cut by $7.5 million a year, starting in 2012-13, that should take some wind out of their sails.

Canada’s chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand said "A single elector being misdirected from a poll is a serious offence.” Marc Mayrand also said the fraudulent calls “should not be tolerated in a democracy.”

[Ranger66]

“The Conservative majority on the committee replied to the request by booking Mayrand on Thursday”

The funny thing about hiding things is you look like you are doing a cover up.

[Bagotricks]

The new budget cut funding to Elections Canada.

Clear a path!

[steven lloyd]

Election robocall scandal solved
by Sympatico.ca Staff

Leaked audio clip reveals source of controversial robocalls to be new political party vying for election in 2015.

In what's been described by democracy watchdogs as the most shocking robocall revelation to date, the ongoing election scandal has taken a surprise turn.

For weeks, Conservative party officials have been deflecting and opposition parties have been redirecting accusations. But all the bickering and finger-pointing in the House of Commons may now be completely moot in light of newly acquired evidence.



http://news.sympatico.ca/home/contentpo ... d/4fa5c7fd

[Merry]

Regardless of WHO is responsible for the Robocalls I think it is very important that they be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law (and that includes jail time). Because if a democratic society is to function as it should, it's electorate must have faith in it's elections.

This is not the best time to cut funding to Electons Canada, and it was foolish of the Harper Government to do so.

[econovan64]

Regardless of WHO is responsible for the Robocalls I think it is very important that they be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law (and that includes jail time). Because if a democratic society is to function as it should, it's electorate must have faith in it's elections.

This is not the best time to cut funding to Electons Canada, and it was foolish of the Harper Government to do so.

The fact that so many who received robocalls first received calls for the Conservative candidate asking if they were voting Conservative is pretty damning.

I wouldn't put it past any over zealous campaign worker of any party to be behind some nasty calls, some of these people are out to lunch in all parties, but the thrust here is against non Conservative supporters for sure. And its not isolated, it was a planned strategy, a conspiracy to hijack an election, and it worked.

We are now living under the reign of Brother Leader Harper.

[Bagotricks]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2 ... tends.html

Robocalls probe reportedly moves to Conservative party

Two weeks before the one-year anniversary of the May 2, 2011, election, an investigation into fraudulent robocalls has moved to Conservative headquarters, according to a media report. Postmedia reported Monday night that Elections Canada investigators are looking at the Conservative Party's internal database to see who downloaded a list of non-supporters in Guelph. The report says the database seems to be missing entries that could identify who accessed the list.

...good thing we didn't subpoena all the records and instead let the Conservatives police themselves and "check over their files" first eh?

[Bagotricks]

More lies.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2 ... lenge.html

6 robocall ridings had no polling changes. Email rules out one Conservative explanation for misleading election calls.

New information released by a group challenging last year's federal election results in seven ridings shows almost no changes in polling station locations, eliminating one explanation offered by Conservatives for calls that gave voters the wrong information. The Council of Canadians, which is supporting nine people in an application in federal court, provided an email Wednesday to reporters that shows only one polling station moved in the seven ridings in which Conservative wins are being challenged.

Also...

The seven ridings being challenged are:

* Don Valley East in Ontario, won by Conservative MP Joe Daniel by 870 votes.
* Nipissing-Timiskaming in Ontario, won by Conservative MP Jay Aspin by 18 votes.
* Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar in Saskatchewan, won by Conservative Kelly Block by 538 votes.
* Vancouver Island North in B.C., won by Conservative John Duncan by 1,827 votes.
* Winnipeg South Centre in Manitoba, won by Conservative MP Joyce Bateman by 722 votes.
* Elmwood-Transcona in Manitoba, won by Conservative MP Lawrence Toet by 300 votes.
* Yukon won by Conservative Ryan Leef by 132 votes.

The court can dismiss the complaints, but if it agrees with the applicants and finds there was fraud or irregularities, it could declare the results of the election in those ridings null and void.

[Drongoman]

The court can dismiss the complaints, but if it agrees with the applicants and finds there was fraud or irregularities, it could declare the results of the election in those ridings null and void.

So they'll revote, and the Conservatives will win the ridings again, and we'll just have wasted even more taxpayer money to solve a problem that never existed in the first place. Social justice at its finest.

[Bagotricks]

So they'll revote, and the Conservatives will win the ridings again, and we'll just have wasted even more taxpayer money to solve a problem that never existed in the first place. Social justice at its finest.

If they re-vote, that means the Conservatives committed election fraud on a massive scale. That means party higher up's knew. Dont think it will stop there (and why should it?). The government is hanging by a string, given the news of the last few days.

I believe their majority rested on under 2000-3000 votes spread out over 12 ridings, in total. Hard to say "a problem that never existed in the first place" if they are having a re-vote to correct a "problem" of fraud.

Sure, you'll vote for them again. I don't think others will.

Generally speaking Canadians don't like being defrauded of their votes in their own ridings.

What does the Conservative MP say after the fact - "Sorry we tried to trick our opponents voter base and behaved like a government being fraudulently elected in Africa - just kidding! Opps, sorry to all our vets! Vote Conservative!"

Or

"Next time we'll just put goon squads at polling stations - striving for a transparent and accountable Harper Government™"