Conservative Party Sends Team to Labrador to “Investigate” Its Own Election Misconduct
There were two major developments in the ongoing, CBC-led investigation of election misconduct by Harper regime governmental affairs minister Peter Penashue in Labrador. First, it was alleged by the Liberals and by the CBC that Penashue’s campaign appears to have taken a $5500 donation from a corporation. This is illegal under the election law: corporations and unions cannot donate to political parties. Individuals can donate, but only up to a maximum of $1100.
The weirdest part about the whole saga is that Penashue is already known to have flagrantly violated the election law. It was reported over the summer that his campaign violated the spending cap law. Everything that had happened since then — the mysterious loan from an in-law’s development company, the massive cost overruns on his airfare (which were partially written off, perhaps illegally, thus bringing his “actual” spending back down to the spending limit or thereabouts), the alleged corporate donation, and all the rest — all of this is just extra. We know he broke the elections law. Yet he is still in Cabinet, still in the Conservative caucus, and more importantly, still uncharged by Elections Canada. How is this state of affairs even conceivable?
Anyhow, in relation to the other allegations, the latest one isn’t even that bad. The Penashue campaign has a deposit slip from its bank account indicating a $5500 donation from Pennacon. It dispensed tax receipts in smaller, legal amounts to various directors of that company. Now, it’s possible that Pennacon made an illegal donation and the Penashue campaign tried to cover it up by writing bogus tax receipts — something which indicate illegal behaviour on both sides, and fraud on the part of the campaign. It’s also possible that Pennacon held a fundraiser at which the individuals in question put a bunch of money in the pot, the campaign took the money to the bank, and just decided to save a few penstrokes when filling out the deposit slip. It’s possible. It should be easy to find out — just ask to see the cheques. The bank presumably has a record of this, too, and that would clear up this particular matter. Not the other matters, though.
Here’s the most comforting part of the CBC coverage, though:
the “PMO is so concerned about this situation that officials from the party’s headquarters will soon be travelling to Labrador in order to continue their review.”
Oh good. The Conservative Party is going to investigate itself here, instead of making Elections Canada get involved. I’m sure they’ll straighten everything out to everyone’s satisfaction.
We’ve down this road before. When the robocall scandal broke earlier in the year, the Conservatives were reportedly launching a major internal investigation to get to the bottom of it. That was shortly before it was publicly reported by Postmedia that the internal party database access logs that might identify the guilty party had been mysteriously erased.
Eventually I’ll fulfill my promise to make a list of the election misconduct allegations made in the past couple of years. The Conservatives will figure prominently on this list.
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Beijing York
Good grief!
the anonymous salamander
I’m not clear when it became your job.. to promise.. make a list.. investigate, file allegations .. with Conservatives prominent on this list .. re election misconduct.
Props to you for stepping up, taking it on without flinching.. as are many other Canadians
But.. uh .. don’t we pay a lot of people and their lawyers and law firms.. too look after or punish this stuff? How about the paid public service… The RCMP, The CSIS, Elections Canada, The Privy Council, The Sergeant at Arms, Dean Del Mastro or Jason Toews.. or the chief public servant – Stephen Harper ??
Ah, yes.. that elusive story (and confused tale or trail) of the fraudulent and mysterious 2011 federal election.. The election our ethically pure but oily, majority government (who are The Conservative Party, theoretically) .. claims never happened…
Not the election.. silly !! Just the fraud … !
The rumored criminal electoral fraud that is really just baseless smearing..
That the grim pro life majority Conservative rapture crowd.. denies from dawn to dusk, to wives, mistresses, parents, man-friends, women-friends, children.. and their dogs and cats.. and to many.. so called reporters
It does seem there’s scary long legs to the story.. with over 200 ridings reporting the same Conservative rapture, electoral victory phenomena.
The Harper Government however, does not read newspapers, instead emulating Stephen Harper who readily and recently explained, that he does not read newspapers .. anymore ..
So perchance the government is caught unaware.. out of touch, so to speak. DeLorey and Van Loan and Baird sternly, stupidly and certainly unaware, reinforcing this empty headed echo or directive from higher up.
I thought it a no brainer, myself… That a message from every conscious and breathing with a heartbeat, ‘Stand On Guard For Thee’, Pulitzer Prize dreaming editor or publisher of Mainstream Media epicenters would flash out to each and every cub reporter, every ace reporter at every newsrag and tv station…
…to hound to the ground.. this crime.. follow every clue, examine every proclamation, examine every document, sniff every riding, find every witness, confront all circumstance
It won’t be Elections Canada, or mainstream media that slaps down this faux, flawed and disturbed government,, it will be independent bloggers .. gawd bless em… via blog, Twitter .. Anonymous .. Facebook.. and Google Search
It’s.. a cryin shame …
me-me-me-its-all-about-me
This is all part of laws now being “optional”. i.e. The government more or less decides which laws it feels like enforcing and which to ignore.
Long Gun Registry? Well it’s gone now of course. But as soon as Mr. H. came in as a minority PM, Stockwell Day announced he as ‘suspending’ the registration of long guns. Say what?
Canadian Wheat Board? Well the Conservatives never liked that one either. I had always heard that the growers had to have a plebiscite to vote to disband it. is that really the law? Well, apparently not, since the majority of farmers never voted to do so.
And what about those gazebos in Tony Clement’s riding which were paid for money Parliament voted for “Border Security”? Funny. I always thought the role of Parliament was to APPROVE HOW THE GOVERNMENT SPENT MONEY. Not any more, I guess.
Now we have election shenanigans. I’m sure there will be lots of huffing-and-puffing. But at the end of the day … Well, somehow, somewhere, someone did something wrong, and sure, the rules weren’t followed, and, well, shucks, we’ll certainly start a process to investigate and ensure these things don’t happen again …
Where is Vic Toews when you need him?