Over this past week the opposition and the media have been hammering the Tories with allegations and speculation of large scale election fraud, and their relentless "digging for the truth" may be about to uncover large scale election incompetence by Elections Canada's army of temporary low wage workers. For example, CBC's Terry Milewski reported today on several hundred incomplete or bogus registration forms in the riding office of Eglington Lawrence, where Joe Oliver defeated Joe Volpe (of course you might remember Joe Volpe, who formerly registered dead people to support his Liberal leadership campaign). The accusations that the Conservative candidate was responsible for sloppy paper work in the EC office started flying before anyone thought to point out that Elections Canada is responsible for ensuring that registration forms are properly completed with proof of ID provided before they add that voter to the list of electors. This is not Joe Oliver's fault, but that inconvenient truth is absent from Milewski's investigative report.
If Elections Canada registration forms are suddenly going to fall under the media's watchful scrutiny, be prepared for errors and mistakes numbering in the thousands (I'd recommend looking into the riding of Libby Davies in East Vancouver for starters). EC would much rather investigate allegations of misleading robocalls than expose their own mistakes. That is not to paint all election workers with the same brush, but we are talking about a work force of thousands with varying levels of competence. There's an idiot in every room and election law is complex and continually evolving. If we start a full investigation into botched or incomplete registration forms, this is going to extend far beyond a single Toronto riding, and the black eye will belong to Elections Canada, not the Conservative party. If we find that most of this "greatest electoral fraud in Canadian history" was actually primarily Elections Canada f**k-ups; I won't hold my breath waiting for an apology from Pat Martin or any of the other dipshits so eager to jump to conclusions before there exists any evidence of wrong doing by the Tories.
I don't often recommend people read Milewski's work, but if you scroll down and read the comments, it just might make you sick to your stomach.
Interesting turn.
ReplyDeleteWasn't it during the last Parliament that Harper was being critiqued for not having confidence in Elections Canada, the opposition going so far a to have a vote on the point.
Bang on - as I have written countless letters to the editor in my town, they choose not to print them for various reasons, so who is suppressing the truth?
ReplyDeleteSomeone had to say it and you did - Now, if we could just get the word out to the general public they would understand exactly what is going on here with the MSM. They squelch and pussy-foot around the main theme which is lost in the noise not mention the (meat of the matter) and kissing butt for what purpose?
We know about Terry - skirting issues that are paramount, but he, like most of the (a...) kissers keep on chugging along. For example; Rosemary and Kady!
maybe glenn Beck is rite maybe George soros in involved in this. and is surpressing the truth.
DeleteIf Beck says he is,then he probably is,as he's got his nose into everything else.
DeleteHaving been involved in enough elections, I have thought all along that much of this confusion may indeed be exactly what you are suggesting.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis and not only would it be refreshing to hear from EC that they did make mistakes, from the Media Party an entire picture, rather than their cherry picked dream scenario.
I've been either a Deputy Returning Officer or Central Poll Supervisor for both provincial and federal elections and it's staggering to me the number of people who sit through the three hours of training prior to voting day and are completely clueless when they show up at the polls to begin their work. They haven't even opened their manuals.
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason for that, NeilD. EC does not weed out those who cannot read, as I discovered last May. The DRO was OK until a problem occurred and then couldn't look up solutions.
DeleteAnise
What Mildewski hasn't reported..
ReplyDelete* Been caught destroying campaign promotional material by his opponents
* Been caught accepting political donations from children to circumvent campaign donor limits
* Been caught signing up dead people to party memberships in a federally contested leadership race (i.e. messing with voter/membership lists)
That candidate is Joe Volpe.
Ontario Girl
How does anyone know who those supposedly 2700 voters voted for. Maybe they voted for Volpe as he has a record of dirty tricks. Maybe those with no address were from a cemetary.
ReplyDeleteWhen my wife and I got married in 1999, it took three elections to get her name changed on her voter card, to match her drivers license. Our polling station moved every election. Normally the nearest school is a likely choice, but now we drive 4 kms to a community centre in another subdivision. We're positive that it will be another location next time.
ReplyDeleteI think it is time Canadians got some straight answers from Elections Canada. The management of the voting list and the polling station is obviously their responsibility.As for P Poutine, so much of the investigating seems to be coming from private citizens and companies. Since John Ivison practically printed his name today, there is a concern that he (she) may flee, or destroy whatever evidence not already destroyed. I don't think EC is top drawer in the detective department.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Conservatives went to war with Elections Canada the opposition was all over them for attacking a sacred institution. Now that EC has not accepted their assertions and issued a report that pins the blame for the robocalls debacle on the Conservatives, the opposition is attacking this same institution for incompetence; only the opposition is twisting it around that the problem is not with the agency but lies with the lack of funding and even more severe regulatory powers. Typical lefty stupidity; hire more people and spend more money.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe that since Elections Canada is so useless, it is time to bring in outside election monitors.
How did Terry Mildewski get the voting list with no addresses on it? From some throw away voter box in a dumpster?Even if all voters voted LIBERANO Joe Oliver would of won anyways. What a laugh. Joe Volpe, another dirty trick gone wrong for him.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it is nothing more than some of Joes supporters trying to get in touch last minute (when his support was in the tank).............from beyond the grave.
When is CBC the NATIONAL going to report on the 31,ooo contacts ...LEAD NOW .CA...Avaaz.org...and the lawsuit against Pat Martin and the NDP party and the apologizes from different papers for false slanderous reporting?
waiting..waiting..
Ontario Girl
They don't bother with the important news,they just report the latest made up scandal by the Harper Hater's towards the CPC.
DeleteA personal comment to you Iceman:
ReplyDeleteSoory for posting as anonymous but since the incompetent twits at Google Blogs can't remember my password for more than a week at a time I have given up on using them.
Powell Lucas
Is it just me or does the CBC tend to refer to the 'federal government' when the news is good and the 'Harper government' when it's bad?
ReplyDeleteYes..and when it's McLier in Ontario they just report the BAD NEWS as "the Governmen"t to make people think it's the FEDERAL GOVT. NOT the Ontario Govt. Saame as BC....it's" the Government"....not the provincial Liberal Govt.You have to know the issues or listening to the media, you would think Ornge was done by PM Harper or any other bad news.
ReplyDeleteWho is 'Elections Canada'? Who are these arrogant power tripping bungling beaurocrats? Let's find some names. It is too easy for 'them' to hide behind that anonymous officious label.
ReplyDeletebluetech