A Conservative Government?


Julian Wolfe
February 25th, 2012


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In 2006, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives won a minority over Paul Martin’s Liberals. The campaign consisted of two main themes: the sponsorship scandal and tax cuts. One must wonder why the Conservatives won: was it in protest against the Liberal sponsorship scandal? Was it because the GST was promised to be cut by 2%? Or was it because the votes were rigged?

It isn’t everyday that Canadians should have to worry about vote rigging. We know it exists elsewhere and some believe it’s how George W. Bush won over Al Gore in 2000 in the United States. Amid the second major scandal concerning electoral procedure, should a criminal investigation find results that prove the Conservatives rigged the 2011 election, who is to say that the 2006 and 2008 elections were legitimate? Wasn’t the last scandal – concerning overspending which led to the guilty verdict of the Conservative party to prevent 4 prominent members from going to jail dated back to 2006?

A cloud of doubt looms over the legitimacy of the last election result. The narrow win, the drastic shift of Bloc and Liberal voters to the Conservatives and NDP – did it really happen or was it all a ploy? A government which owns a powerful majority based on 39% of the vote cast by 61% of eligible voters, one must wonder how such a minority won a majority. Advocates may be waning on the idea of electoral reform, they may claim vote splitting and a number of factors were responsible, but what if the recent attack on Canadian democracy was the real cause?

Anyone who can be seen as cheating – multiple times – in elections is bound to be suspect to skepticism. The in and out scandal – proven and guilty verdict registered, the phony calls to Irwin Cotler’s riding, the robocalls which struck strategic Liberal ridingsa staffer in Guelph has already resigned, the list is getting quite long – add what Harper has to say about the Canadian public and one will get outraged.

The NDP and Liberals are taking the situation seriously. The NDP held a news conference administered by Pat Martin and Liberal Interim Leader Bob Rae is asking for an emergency debate on the matter.

NDP MP Pat Martin holds press conference addressing Conservative election fraud

Bob Rae’s Letter to the Speaker:

So when will a criminal investigation be called and if proven, what does it mean about the transparency of Elections Canada and the validity of the election results over the past decade – or two?

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   Categories: Accountability, Conservative, Crime, Election, Electoral System, Featured, Harper, Liberal, NDP, Robocall Scandal, Scandal

On Monday, the longest campaign in modern history will come to a close and if current polls are any indication, Canada may be seeing a change in government after 9 years of Conservative rule under the leadership of Stephen Harper. Accountability was his calling card in 2006 and today, accountability may very well be one of the defining reasons for his departure.

In its length, in its cost and in its debate schedule, this election is unusual. The first and possibly only real debate of the campaign ended and here are the highlights of what happened.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper left Rideau Hall this morning with Governor General David Johnston’s approval to drop the writ and Canadians are now officially headed to the polls on October 19. For the first time since fixed election date legislation was brought in by the Conservative government, a fixed election date has been followed.

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