Robocall Scandal: Tories Misfire on Liberals


Julian Wolfe
March 3rd, 2012


The campaign of Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro was one of 14 Tory campaigns that used an Ohio-based political telemarketing firm during the last federal election campaign, documents show.
The Conservatives recently tried to blame the Liberal Party for the robocalls that were sent out to mislead voters who weren’t Conservative. They sourced a document and tried to have it released to media sources and it contained a false link between the Liberals and an American firm which are completely unrelated to Robocall. It turns out that there is a lot more behind the story beneath the eye.

Election fraud is a serious issue and Elections Canada is investigating over 31,000 calls from voters claiming that the 2011 Election was filled with dirty tricks and suspicious phone calls.In order to get to the bottom of the facts a public inquiry is investigated and the RCMP and Elections Canada should be allowed to get whatever necessary information to find and arrest the person or persons responsible for such a shallow betrayal of Canadian democracy.

Instead of doing the logical thing and calling a public inquiry – which would clear the Conservatives of wrong doing if they are innocent – they resorted to lowdown attacks on the opposition. In doing so, not only have they discredited their defense, they have made it very easy for the Canadian people to suspect that something isn’t right and a cover-up is in order. If election fraud wasn’t an issue and had no links to them, they would have no trouble getting down to the bottom of it as the ‘tough on crime’ party. Instead, they made themselves look unprofessionally shallow and guilty of a crime they may or may not have committed.

As Evan Soloman presented the links between Robocall, the Conservatives through MP Jason Kenny, an American firm and the Republican party in the United States in the video above, MP Dean Del Mastro went in a circle as he tried to pin the Liberal Party with false accusations.

Earlier this week an American elections specialist discussed how electoral fraud is nothing new in the US and that dirty tricks are seen all the time, but he said that something as serious as deflecting voters from polling sites has never been seen.

To add even more suspicion to the Conservative camp which refuses to investigate, they did admit to false calls in Liberal MP Irwin Cotler’s riding and after pleading for years that it was innocent and that In and Out never happened, the Tories pleaded guilty to prevent 4 of its high-ranking members from going to jail. So if there is nothing to hide, why aren’t they calling a public inquiry?

This scandal reminds me of something Harper said back during the days of the infamous Liberal sponsorship scandal.

"When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern,” Stephen Harper said to the Canadian Press on April 18, 2005.

I guess the same applies now, doesn’t it?

Read more posts like this one.


   Categories: Accountability, Conservative, Crime, Election, Featured, Robocall Scandal, Scandal, United States

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.

Join the discussion!


Share this article with your friends!

What do you think? Leave a comment!