Investigation Into Robocall Scheme Must Be Reopened
The robocall scandal, which Sixth Estate helped document during the spring, resurfaced in several weird ways over the past week. Documents have been filed in the ongoing Council of Canadians litigation over alleged robocalls in several ridings. More interestingly, though, Guelph Conservative insider Michael Sona — once fingered as a possible culprit behind the “Pierre Poutine” escapade — went public to declare his innocence in the “massive scheme” and to deliver the following statement, which much of the media seems to have thought was not especially important:
Sona says Elections Canada investigators have finished their report into the robocalls in Guelph, but the report isn’t yet public.
How does Sona know this, precisely?
It’s possible he’s making it up, but it’s a weird statement to toss in if you don’t know it’s true. Maybe he just means they told him they were done asking him questions. But assuming it’s true, that leaves us to wonder why the existence of that report, let alone its contents, has not been disclosed to the public. This would be a very important document. It would either identify Pierre Poutine, opening the door to a wider investigation of the robocall conspiracy; or, it would demonstrate, once and for all, that Elections Canada is not capable of upholding the integrity of the Canadian electoral system.
To that end, I think it is vital to continue the public investgation into the robocalls, even if Elections Canada allegedly is not doing so. To that end, I’ll be returning to the question several more times over the coming weeks to try and put together, if not an allegation of who was specifically actually behind them, at least a record of what was publicly said and done about what may have been the most important attempt to undermine electoral integrity in many years.
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As Saskboy (http://saskboy.wordpress.com/) points out the report, if indeed it exists, will either show who was responsible or how totally inept Elections Canada is at protecting our election system from fraud. Given the time that has passed without any charges being laid it would seem that the latter assumption is true anyway!
the anonymous salamander hordes
Why not just ask Ray Novak what actually went down ? He isn’t elected as far as I know.. so he’s not going to wimp out and claim parliamentary privilege-immunity… As a good Canadian boy surely he will be supportive, helpful, honest and informative. He’s not a lawyer so he won’t wank out and claim client/solicitor privilege like Rear Admiral Peter Mackay does.
What about that young gun hotshot Stephen Lecce ? He might be an even better source.. tight with Fantino as well as with Harper. We shouldn’t overlook these sharp young minds that were front line in the election war rooms and the firewalled PMO.. and surely that great Canadian Stephen Harper will be grateful if they can shed some light on why his colonial majority government gets such dismal reviews on secrecy/transparency and obstruction/jobs and electoral fraud/good government.
Del Mastro, Van Loan, De Loray are tired old soldiers and should be retired or pimped to The Senate.. and like unctuous Pierre Poilievre their names are complicated, bifurcated or implicated and hard to spell.. and they’re still reading-reciting a baseless smears script that must have been written by Preston Manning.. or Shakespeare.. or Ezra the Ethical .. or the estimable Jenni Byrne
Now there’s a woman who will recognize a lying sack of shite or electoral fraudster in a heartbeat.. The poor dear Jenni has been forced to keep company with, be den mother to.. and keep track of and cook for an entire political party composed of such smelly overfed faux judeo christian hypocrites .. I heard they gave her a medal for that.. and truly speaking, she should be canonized as well.. talk about hazardous work environments .. !! And not a complaint out of her.. bless her heart !!
Almost everything you wish you knew.. about the last federal election fiasco-fraud.. its mechanism, execution and purpose and perps,, is contained in these peoples’ heads.. For sure there are many many other persons, perps, Ministers, robowonks, data-miners, secretaries, wives, Prime Minister, lawyers, boyfriends, spokespersons, girlfriends… with dazzling anecdotes, gossip, facts.. or the proverbial ‘dirt’ as many would say ..
Imagine what would happen.. if a tired but experienced old police officer showed up at Lecce’s, or Novak’s (Harper’s) or Bryne’s front door.. and said., ‘you have a right to legal representation, but I have a few questions for you …’
Saskboy
They did give Byrne a medal.
http://www.canada.com/news/Conservative+party+campaign+manager+awarded+Diamond+Jubilee+medal/6814348/story.html
Glad you’re again writing about RoboCon too, Sixth Estate. Elections Canada is months overdue with results of their investigation(s). They’ve had over a dozen people working on it, why are they not raising hell that their work is silenced?