There was no conduct reported that would bring into question the election result overall or the result in a particular riding. Although misconduct was reported in several ridings, there is no complaint that it affected the final result. There is some speculation in the media that the dirty tricks may have affected the result in some close contests.
…[T]he investigation of complaints regarding web-based conduct - particularly third-party conduct - is difficult, time consuming and may be inconclusive. The same applies to telephone communications that flow through intermediaries and foreign call centres. Consequently, the dirty tricks complaints which definitely occurred may not be resolvable, if the conduct is illegal under the Act.
—Commissioner of Canada Elections William Corbett, May 16, 2011.
Good grief. In what century will the hapless Elections Canada complete its risible “investigation” of what looks like massive, organized electoral fraud? And who in their right minds would believe in the results?
Complaints to EC were pouring in before and just after the May 2, 2011 election. The only thing new about Roboscam is that two reporters reassembled all the anecdotal bits and pieces and showed Canadians just how widespread and organized the vote suppression was.
“Roboscam” is somewhat of a misnomer, too, and we mustn’t be misled. Phone banks with real callers were also used to misdirect voters. Unregistered voters in large numbers are alleged to have shown up in Etobicoke Centre to subvert the electoral process. And the riding of Montmagny-L’Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup was “won” in a squeaker by the Conservative candidate—until a recount was ordered, revealing that somehow 100 votes or so had been “accidentally” assigned to the Green Party of Canada.
Through all of this, whether because of limited resources or lack of political will, Elections Canada has been dilatory, to say the least. And too bloody secretive by half.
Here’s the latest, no pun intended:
A Guelph man reported to be a person of interest in the Conservative Party of Canada’s probe of the robo-dialling scandal seems to be less in demand with Elections Canada investigators.
Michael Sona was only contacted by Elections Canada earlier this week, days after the first media reports connected him with the Conservative’s investigation of the robocalls scandal.
Sources familiar with the ongoing Elections Canada probe have told the Guelph Mercury Sona first spoke to an Elections Canada investigator on Tuesday, even though the agency’s investigation has been ongoing since shortly after last May’s federal election.
This unsilent lamb, this fall guy who wouldn’t fall, is, perhaps in spite of himself, continuing to work his magic, this time by exposing the third-rate quality of the EC “investigation.”
Meanwhile, before Elections Canada sent its lone investigator to Guelph Thunder Bay, the Conservatives were going over all of the digital records of robocalls in that riding calls made by the Responsive Marketing Group call centre there. Since when does the prime suspect get to process the crime scene? This is surreal.
More than seventy ridings have by now been implicated in vote suppression so far. How many are being investigated by Elections Canada?
Two.
Good God, even the Conservatives think EC is incompetent. (The article at this link is well worth reading: Sixth Estate is on a tear.)
We’re being led down a false and treacherous path. Only a full-blown independent, public, properly-resourced judicial inquiry will get to the bottom of this. Bring it on, and stop this Elections Canada sideshow before any more harm is done.
[H/t Kady O’Malley]
