Interesting that the Liberals have been caught making illegal robocalls in the controversial riding of Guelph, but the story is noticeably absent from the CBC Politics page. The big headline is a request to investigate Julian Fantino's election finances. It would appear that confessed Liberal "dirty tricks" just isn't as interesting a news story as allegations of Tory "dirty tricks". Then again, the Liberals are in 3rd place and not promising to cut the CBC's budget by 10%, so I can see where they might get bumped down the priority list. Does anyone care about the Liberal Party anymore? Perhaps when the story broke this afternoon, the CBC online editors had already gone home for the weekend? Somehow I doubt that Evan Soloman will be leading his show with this on Monday. We'll see how many of the 31,000 "complaints" (if we can call them that) collected by Ian Chapstick and friends were actually "complaining" about robocalls ordered by the opposition parties.
Protests have been planned for this weekend in cities across the country. The Robocall protests to date have not mustered much attendance, but we'll see if this new information on Liberal dirty tricks helps boost the numbers. Will there be any signs demanding an end to Liberal dirty tricks? I won't hold my breath...
Today's poll question, should there be a byelection in Guelph, where the Liberals won handily by using dirty tricks?
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ReplyDeleteyou got to know the difference between and election negative campaign robocall and voter suppression right? On is legal and one isn't
ReplyDeleteMean Guelph campaign workers lawyer up and STFU and stop co-operating with the Elections Canada investigation. What is that you "Law adn Order" type say about people who need lawyer?
You mean people like Mike Meier, Zorpheous? People who will be convicted by media speculation and without evidence? My goodness, who needs a lawyer?
ReplyDeleteThe Fantino story is nothing but delection to take away the fact the Liberal MP from Guelph just admitted breaking Elections Canada lawas in the 2011 election, using robocalls no less.
ReplyDeleteThe Fantino story was from June 2011, and actually dates back even further to 2011, where the three people who resigned from his riding office disagreed with him being made the candidate for the election.
I guess what I'm saying is what's old is new again: "Lorello filed an affidavit with Elections Canada in May 2011 and Liddy and Kent filed affidavits in June 2011."
sorry who is Mike Meier, obviously the media didn't do good enough job, no idea who he is or what he was accused of doing
ReplyDeleteTHIS coming from a person who questioned if I followed the news on this issue (on paulsstuff blog) because I did not accept his/her point of view???? The hypocrisy oozes from the screen!
DeleteThrow in your childish petulance that you had to go to another blog and state that Iceman is a "male member", and your credibility has sunken lower than a snakes' ass in a wagon rut.
I would suggest that Mommy & Daddy impose limits on your internet time Zorpheous, but your simplistic and self-righteous "progressive" rants are simply too amusing to be constrained.
Really? Cause his picture was posted on the top left of National Newswatch for two days. Pat Martin mentioned him repeatedly for several days until being served notice of being sued. CBC did a small story about him and his business.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm really saying is you have been running all over the blogs for weeks posting about the robocalls, and now claim to have no idea who Meier is?
I'll try and put this a polite way, your full of shit!
Sorry, honestly didn't recognize the name. The Manning Centre school, Google his in name in the news search and nothing comes up (is the spelling correct)
ReplyDeleteAs for Fantino, this is deflection for the liberal election robocall? LOL, now that's rich. I see the whole Garth-ification thing is going to happen again, good luck with that.
As for the Liberal Robocall, the only thing about it violated the Elections Canada act is that the phone call didn't identifying as coming from the liberal, so Liberal should be penalize accordingly.
Next?
Meier is owner of Racknine.
ReplyDeleteActually, if Lori Macdonald, the name used on the Liberal robocall is a ficticous person, another EC law has been broken.
Uh Zorpheus?
DeleteLauren MacDonald is a graduate student at the University of Guelph. I wonder if she's politically active?
Paul - I didn't instantly recognize the name either. It was only when you mentioned Robocalls that the penny dropped, so to speak.
DeleteFrank aleriote made a statement to The national post newspaper and said it was an "OVERSIGHT"!!!!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile CBC is running wild with the regeretated Fantino allegations expense story all morning. On Guelph, today...Conservative Randy Burke cancelled speaking to EC and Mike Soros was in their story reported by CBC Laura Payton. NO mention of Liberal Frank Valeriote making robocalls and hiding that the Liberal Party were making them which is illegal BTW. What other robocalls were the party making?
Senario...make calls...say it's elections Canada sending voters to wrong polls...send your campaign team to the polls to re-direst voters to the right polls and blame the CONSERVATIVE party...get voters upset hoping they will vote LIBERAL.ummmm then come out after a Liberal loss(Liberals won in this riding) and cry FOWL!!!????? Get the media to back you up and voila.
Come on CBC...don't suppress this story along with all the other ones.
There is a scandal here and its not the Conservative party.CBC needs to be shut down.
Ontario Girl
ontario Girl the media won't surpress it to long the sunnews will expose it and they seem to be able to have a leash on cbc Lately. they seem to be abe to make them exspose things they don't want to.
DeleteNot a bunch of Guelph students, one who has mommy and daddy sending pre-paid visa cards, and is involved in politics. I'm guessing someone who took part in the U of G farce of an advance poll. Maybe it was the guy at the door, handing out Liberal campaign literature, another EC violation.
ReplyDeleteAs a volunteer caller for a party, you are provided with a SCRIPT that clearly indicates the PARTY affiliation/Candidate and the NAME of the caller. Those are the first words out of the gate.
ReplyDeleteNone of that was done here and clearly if I had received this call, would have wondered which party was smearing the candidate. This would have been a huge red flag.
The fact that CBC has neglected this part of the story so far is not surprising though. They run around using accusatory words for 2 weeks and then the first big break on a TRUTHFUL aspect doesn't even come close to fitting in with their 2 week kangaroo court against the CPoC.
Zorpheous. We know that the Liberal Robocall came from the liberals but as for Pierre Poutine, we don't yet know. BTW Conservatives in Guelph also recieved calls pretending to be from Elections Canada directing them to the wrong polling station
ReplyDeleteThere have been tons of incidents of voter suppression over the years likely committed by supporters of ALL parties (NOT THE PARTIES THEMSELVES). Slashed tires, keyed cars, are examples of voter intimidation and in my opinion are worse then a phone call telling you the wrong place to vote. The reason for the ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS amount of attention this time around is because lefties see it as an opportunity to bring Harper down (which is ridiculous). The least democratic aspect of this whole thing is the people who want to reverse an entire election over crap that has happened every election since the dawn of time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why people don't check there ec card when they vote I know I do and I phone in to ec they have a number on there card use it. they will verify where tyou vote. also even if your in the wrong polling place but in the same riding you can still vote at any polling place you just have to. have 3 pieces of ID and someone to vouch for you no big deal. I was a scrutineer and was in the Room where I watched all this happen and the officer in there he had a rule book and or would phone ec about the rules. all you do is phone the polling station where the person votes at normally and they cross off his name for there.
ReplyDeletethis was in bc bye the way
ReplyDeleteConservative MP Dean Del Mastro is alleging the Liberals used a fake return phone number to make the anti-Burke calls.
ReplyDelete“If he wasn't trying to intentionally mislead the recipients then why did he use a number and exchange that he knew did not exist?”
Mr. Del Mastro said the number identified as making the call was 226-209-3758.
Ontario Girl
It's interesting that the LPC seems cooperative with Elections Canada while the CPC does not. That doesn't prove anything of course but it's interesting nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteMike - my understanding is that the Conservatives have been co-operating with Elections Canada since November, at least with respect to Guelph. Have you definite information to indicate otherwise?
DeleteIn a court of law if you accuse someone of fraud the burden of proof is upon you to prove it.Conservatives have complied with EC...where's your proof they didn't? It's the opposition who haven't given all their info to EC RE: Liberals in Guelph who made calls and didn't say on behalf of the LIBERAL PARTY...this is .What other robo calls did they make? Calls going to a # that doesn't exist by the Liberals and then a throw away phone...ummmmm The plot thickens.
ReplyDelete"It's interesting that the LPC seems cooperative with Elections Canada while the CPC does not. That doesn't prove anything of course but it's interesting nonetheless"
ReplyDeleteReally? The CPC has given any document or info freely whenever asked by EC. Liberals, by their won admission, haven't been asked for any yet. Rae promised to release the list of voters called during the election publically. I'll believe it when I see it.
This just announced on Corrupt CBC about the Manning Conference..."Campaign Research said the NDP & Liberals arn't as good as Conservatives at Robocalls." wtf
ReplyDeleteWhat does CBC intend to gain by causing this smear?
hehe Robocall scandal expert Zorpheous doesn't know anyone by the name Mike Miere. It's not even in the Manning center register!
ReplyDeleteLOL!
These are the bozos running this smear job. It is to laugh.
Valeriote claims his campaign worker used a fake name on the recording because she was afraid of retribution by anti-abortion groups.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/03/10/pol-guelph-liberal-calls.html
Valeriote "I saw nothing, I heard nothing". We've heard that before.
Excuse rolling out. She was afraid of retribution?
ReplyDeleteSo whats the excuse for doing this
If he wasn't trying to intentionally mislead the recipients then why did he use a number and exchange that he knew did not exist?”
Liberano?
This whole clusterf##k is a manufactured smear campaign planned long in advance of the Libranos losing the last election. Unfortunately for the Libranos, the Media and the NDPQ it will continue to backfire in they're faces. Another ham-fisted, reckless act of vandalism from the usual suspects in the Media and the experts at electoral fraud, the Libranos. By the way, how's that EC investigation going with regards to the Librano electoral fraud, commonly known as Adscam? We know that EC couldn't care less about the rules when it comes to Librano criminal behaviour, so it will be interesting to see if EC is a part of this Librano/Media smear campaign.
ReplyDeleteSeems Zorpheus comments ended up in the spam box. It seemed appropriate, so I clicked "delete" instead of "not spam". Felt like spam. Sorry if I deprived anyone of this entertainment...
ReplyDeleteFrances...I don't have anything that would be admissible in court. I saw a reference to CPC officials "lawyering up" but I can't remember where, I read a piece by Don Martin which suggests a change in approach to cooperation which implies that it wasn't always fully forthcoming and my impression was definitely shaped by the Conservative call for the LPC to release documents while they declined to do so because they weren't involved.
ReplyDeleteAt the very least something very weird is going on here. I'd be shocked if it turns out that voter suppression was an officially sanctioned tactic of the CPC but OTOH I'd be surprised if this is some sort of Opposition smear campaign as is alleged by many folks here. Obviously we'll have to wait and see but I wouldn't be surprised if some CPC organisers got together and made misleading phone calls in key ridings. That doesn't make the PM a crook or the party a criminal enterprise but it would mean that some people crossed the line by interfering with some citizens' right to vote...if that scenario actually happened.
I'm not politically aligned anymore but I'm struck by how important transparency was to the CPC when they were running for government and how reliant on opaqueness they've become since winning office. I know that this isn't unusual historically but the Conservatives made such a point of it that the reversal is startling...all IMHO of course.