So yesterday we find out that the Liberal MP in Guelph, the one crying about the robocalls to anyone willing to put a camera in front of him, admitted that his own campaign contravened EC laws with it's own robocalls in the 2011 election:
"An anti-Conservative robo-call has surfaced from the 2011 federal election campaign in Guelph, Ont. – one the Liberals are now claiming responsibility for having funded.The recorded message – circulated to the media by Conservatives on Friday – attacked Guelph Tory candidate Marty Burke as anti-choice.
It says he believed “that under absolutely no circumstance should a women have the right to choose” to have an abortion. “Government should not be able to force their beliefs on to me,” the woman delivering the anti-Conservative message said.
She identifies herself as Lori, or Laurie, McDonald of Guelph. “The race in Guelph is very close. Vote strategically on Monday to protect our hard earned rights from the Conservatives and Marty’s extreme views.” Liberal MP Frank Valeriote acknowledged the anti-Burke robo-call should have identified it was funded by his campaign."
So Valeriote has already admitted his campaign did in fact violate the EC law in regards to not adding the Liberal Party name to the robocalls. That in itself speaks of dirty tactics. But there is a bigger question about these calls, one not mentioned by anyone yet. Valeriote needs to come forward and address this issue right away, and the media should be asking:
Does Lori or Laurie Macdonald of Guelph, the one purportedly speaking on the robocall really exist? If not, two laws may have been broken, as it's illegal in EC law to impersonate someone else in a robocall or live campaign call. Will the real Lori Macdonald please stand up.
27 comments:
Just a quick question, what would the penalty be for each rule violation be?
Apart from not knowing the correct spelling of the woman making the call in Guelph, Laurie McDonald and/or Lori MacDonald wouldn't the Liberal campaign manager for Frank have documentation about this caller? If the mysterious Lori was working for the Liberals, well wouldn't there be a pay cheque? Or if Mystery Lori was a volunteer, would there be say a free lunch in for her and other volunteers - which of course means there would be records of such as in receipts and reimbursements for such expenses, right? Wouldn't the Guelph Liberal campaign have submitted their campaign expenses to the Liberal HQ? Since the Liberals are claiming wrong doing on the part of their opposition, they should want to release records about the Mysterious Lori.
I'm sure that Elections Canada will require them to release any information regarding the issue.
In most cases of breaking EC rules, EC finds the party guilty, put a little blurb on the EC website that the party recognized the mistake, and history repets itself all over.
In this case two violations may have occurred. At the end of the day EC will say no big deal, wasn't a Conservative.
No wonder the Liberals have been quieter all of a sudden. Still doesn't stop some from their usual spin though.
tyler
not what I asked, is a fine? jail time?
No fine, no jail time. A my bad and everyone proceeds to the next violation. All parties do it and I lay the blame on EC for not enforcing the rules with more vigor.
EC won't do anything to the liberals or the NDP I really don't want the Elections canada even putting there nose into this because there Biast. and there Liberal lovers. remember the Raid on conservative offices it was liberals wo arranged that. remember all the financing laws there letting the liberals pass on there debt and they let all the college students vote at that Cambuse even though it wasn't lagitimate. they didn't do anything with the pamflets being handed out near a Voting booth. so I am skeptical of them Pretending to be fair to conservatives.
Let google be your guide...
There's a Lauren MacDonald that's a graduate student at the University of Guelph. Think that's the same person?
Paul, I think your friend The Iceman is a bit of a "male member" Seems some of comments have mysteriously disappeared over on his blog.
As for the Liberals violation of the EC, the CPC were fine for the In & Out scheme, the Liberals should be fined for their violations regarding these robocalls, if indeed that is punishment.
As for the raid on CPC offices, that was the RCMP, and CBC got wind of it. Sucks when you get raid by the cops, but thats life.
Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro is alleging the Liberals used a fake return phone number to make the anti-Burke calls.
“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
Robocalls misrepresenting EC, misdirecting voters, and unreported on election finances, versus robocalls expressing a political opinion that didn't identify who was paying for the call, but was reported and known to EC.
If you guys on the right can't see a difference, or that the Liberal version was worse, I can only hope you will be more vocal against such practices, demand a full investigation, and support tougher regulations.
At least the Tories are starting to admit these calls happened.
if it walks like a duck it probable is a duck Terry
fh
The Liberals or NDP could of made the calls themselves...after all, the Liberal campaign workers were conveniently at the poll that was fake telling the voters the CONSERVATVES did this. Then Valeriote says they ripped up their voting cards. Looks like a nice stage effect.Liberal supporters??
Sort of like some of the scams Joe Volpe Liberals pulled. BTW Adam Caroll from Vilileaks(Liberal) was also the staffer with Volpe trashing green party pamphlets out of mailboxes. Don't forget the U of G...Liberal outside handing out Liberal pamphlets.
Oh yeah...Liberal dirty tricks The list goes on.
Then we have NDP robocalls into Quebec when their NDP candidate crossed the floor to the Liberals. Then slander lawsuits against Martin and the NDP party.Misleading media reports retracted. Lead now .ca..NDP...
Someone should investigate the CBC Vote Compass that told everyone they were LIBERALS...then follow the CBC $$$$$$$.
Zorph.... the CBC "got wind" or EC's raid on CPC offices?
Yep.."got wind" as in a phone call telling them it was happening.
Incestuous relationships all around.
"At least the Tories are starting to admit these calls happened."
The Tories haven't admitted to anything of the sort.
They have acknowledged that this garbage happened to them too in several instances but it's been happening to them for a very long time.
What is disturbing is that this suppressing of the Conservative vote in Guelph is NOW just another 'move on folks, nothing to see here' moment because it's a precious Liberal.
That is offensive and why the Liberals are a bunch of has-beens. They have no moral compass and find this behaviour normal and worth justifying.
It's not worth justifying and the tone of your comment Terry suggests that despite you knowing nothing and having no facts, the 'Tories' are responsible to change this or these dirty tricks from Liberals are completely acceptable.
They are not okay, they are not healthy and this was approved and rationalized by the Liberal candidate. That is just downright messy, filthy politics.
What Tories have admitted to was that something definitely went awry in Quelph.
Just want to add:They also have emphasized that they want whoever is responsible,caught and punished like all of us do.
My vote was suppressed when the CBC chose to break the law and broadcast the election results before the polls closed.
Bec and frmgtl, I suggest you listen to the audio feed of The Commons CBC radio from last weekend. Dean del Mastro was on and very clear said the something illegal happened in Guelph. I don't have his exact words, as a politician he answers are always a little more wordy than required
So Paul, would you to continue our discussion about your theory of the Guelph Student involvement here since Iceman decide to be coward and deleted the stuff at his blog.
Zorpheous @4:35pm
Your interpretation of my comment is inaccurate. I was not responding to any suggestion that the CPoC hadn't acknowledged these calls. I am saying that they have strongly stated that the CPoC did not authorize any such calls.
The comment I was responding to "at least the Tories are starting to admit these calls happened" suggested to me that the author was implying the Tories had admitted some culpability.
I was saying that they had done no such thing.
Zorpheous things haven't changed with you, always twisting the facts. Is it a lesson you learned from your master GT. I seem to remember your blog and how you would edit the comments and kick people off for disagreeing with your twisted views, especially when they catch you in a lie. Most Conservative Bloggers are pretty broad minded and will put up with most lefty trolls like yourself as long if the language is clean and they don't break any legal issues. This is the exact opposite with most liberal bloggers who's blogs are heavily edited, they seem to not like hearing other peoples views or their readers reading the truth. I maybe blowing smoke out of my arse, but with your past history I wonder if you had anything to do with Robocall scandal, it does have your touch.
Been too busy with local politics to keep up but I do have to say that you are doing some good work on this file Paul, keep up the excellent work!
Errr, Archie, there was only one blogger that I delete and band, and that was some putz who always spammed my blog and refusd to use his really blogger id, forget hi now, it's been four or five years since then.
As for being caught in a lie, carry to be a little specific?
As for your last question, nope, I am not Pierre Poutine.
Now if you have anything cogent to talk, let it rip, other wise have a nice life.
Zorpheous you band me because I caught you in a lie on the Crux of the Matter blog. There also has been others, but I guess you didn't like people catching you BSing and proving your full of it.
If the Liberal Robocalls violated Canada's election laws, then all parties have violated Canada's election laws.
I don't believe that any party should be able to advertise falsely or without full disclosure, but all parties do this. The Conservatives are not a stranger to advertising that is false or misleading. If anyone wants an investigation into false or misleading advertising ( including robocalls ) then no party is going to come out clean.
There is a big difference between political calls that try to sway voters and political calls that pretend to be Elections Canada to prevent voters from voting.
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