Documentary evidence shows that the Conservative Party paid Warren Kinsella to "Seeek and Destroy Bernier's PPC Party". When Scheer was asked eight consecutive times whether this was true he replied “As a rule, we never make comments on vendors that we may or may not have engaged with.” I have zero use for Bernier, his party, or their policies and beliefs, but this also raises questions about Scheer's ethics, whether he is who he says he is, and whether the Cons violated election law. The Cons goal was to make themselves look more enlightened on racial issues. In attacking the PPC that meant they only had to be a millimetre above the racist dirt of the PPC.
Warren Kinsella's Daisy Group consulting firm was behind a social media campaign to put the People's Party of Canada (PPC) on the defensive and keep leader Maxime Bernier out of the federal leaders' debates, according to documents provided to CBC News.
The documents outline the work done by several employees of Daisy on behalf of an unnamed client. A source with knowledge of the project told CBC News that client was the Conservative Party of Canada. ...
According to a source with knowledge of the project, who spoke to CBC News on condition they not be named, the objective of the plan, dubbed "Project Cactus," was to make the Conservative Party look more attractive to voters by highlighting PPC candidates' and supporters' xenophobic statements on social media. The source added that Daisy employed four full-time staffers on Project Cactus at one time.
Kinsella is a lawyer, anti-racism activist and former Liberal strategist who has been a vocal critic of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.
Repeatedly asked to confirm or explain his party's involvement during a campaign event in Toronto on Saturday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer refused to answer. "As a rule, we never make comments on vendors that we may or may not have engaged with," he said repeatedly. ...
Trudeau was asked today if he has concerns his party could also have been targeted, but he did not answer directly. "We've seen through this campaign that the Conservatives have had to use the policies of fear and division and indeed, just make stuff up in order to get their message across," he said, during an event in Hamilton. Why? It's because they have nothing to offer Canadians except $53 billion worth of cuts."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said any plan to "subvert" a political party, paid by another party, is "troubling. I've made it clear that I don't believe someone like Mr. Bernier should have a platform to spread hateful messages. I think his messages are wrong," he said during a campaign event in Vancouver. But at the end of the day, people should be able to discuss and express their opinions, as long as they're not hateful and divisive, and be able to have the forum to do that." Singh said Scheer should be more transparent and explain his party's actions. ...
Documents seen by CBC News outline a plan to "seek and destroy" the PPC and prevent Bernier from getting into the leaders' debates. ...
In the documents seen by CBC News, drafted prior to the launch, STAMP is described as a screen for the project and its client. "Daisy will create an arm's-length organization that cannot be linked to the client or any participating organization. This organization will run a proxy war room public relations campaign that allows real Canadians to shine a light on the prejudice and hate that is associated with the PPC," a Daisy consultant writes. ...
The STAMP Out Hate account lambasted the PPC, its candidates and its supporters right up until June 29, a day before new election rules regarding third-party advertisers came into effect. The account has since stopped attacking Bernier's party but has continued to tweet anti-racist messages.
The emails outlining the plan for Project Cactus say "Daisy will work to ensure this campaign is not named as a third party." Later, in the Whatsapp chat provided to CBC News, a Daisy Group employee asks when the date for third-party spending rules kick in. Another employee replies, "June 30" and the first employee responds, "great thanks!"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/project-cactus-maxime-bernier-1.5327555
The Globe and Mail initially reported on this Conservative party scheme and described how it operated. It also noted that Kinsella had been working for the Green Party during the campaign, raising questions about the Greens' judgement in hiring Kinsella, with his known track record of campaign tricks while working for the Liberals, and questions about where Kinsella's party loyalties actually lie.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/project-cactus-maxime-bernier-1.5327555
Maxime Bernier is not only asking Elections Canada to investigate Warren Kinsella's and the Conservative Party's actions, he is also looking at launching a lawsuit against them. Furthermore, he is asking whether the Rhinoceros Party candidate running against him with an identical Maxime Bernier name is part of a Kinsella scheme.
https://www.straight.com/news/1315946/maxime-bernier-seeks-elections-can...
I hate the Conservatives but I welcome anyone destroying Bernier's Nazi Party
Even by illegal and anti-democratic means?
In every election since their inception in 2004 the Conservatives have significantly broken election laws to help them cheat to win. Whatever happened to Pierre Poutine?
So, to recap, for those just tuning in-Kinsella worked for the Greens to stick to Justin from; then, he worked for the Cons against the PP, to stick it to Justin. Sounds about right for Kinsella.
Reminds me of the quote by (Tommy Douglas? Stanley Knowles?) about either Hazen Argue or Ross Thatcher: "We had him yesterday, you have him today, god help whoever has him tomorrow!"
After being the dirty trickster of the Liberal party where he was known as the Prince of Darkness. He even "ran as a Liberal candidate in the 1997 federal election in the riding of North Vancouver" but lost and tried to run in 2015 in Toronto Danforth as a Liberal but was blocked (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/political-backroom-veteran...).
https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/the-prince-of-darkness-is-back-in-th...
Famous last words.
The time Warren Kinsella joined Rabble Babble.
http://archive.rabble.ca/babble/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=38&t=000253
Warning: thread contains the n-word
He's a sad case (and I know him personally to some exent). The best way that I can describe him is that he is utterly relentless (and usually ruthless) in pursuing what he believes in and in trying to injure those whom he hates (and I mean hates).
The sad part is that he wrestles with serious depression (which he has spoken about, so I am not outing him) and has had a rough go, post-divorce with some of his kids but also seems to have no compunction in inflicting damage on others. So far, a pretty bad picture. And yet, nobody in Canada has devoted more time to exposing and fighting Neo-Nazis. He has done so at significant financial and physical risk to himself.
Until this current campaign, I had sort of taken the rough with the smooth, even though some campaigns I have been invoved with have been among his targets. This time seems different. He is now involved with the same fake news peddling Proud-types that he would once have abhorred. I am not saying that they are Nazis but there is some pretty nasty company there in terms of xenophobia, social policy and God knows what else - which doen't describe his own politics at all.
The only moment of pause that he seemed to have was the Obama intervention because he admires Obama and considered James Carville a friend. That pause lasted an hour or two.
DP
He seems like an unprincipled hack.
I am not sure that I fully understand what a "hack" is. I am reminded of the old joke that if you can't spot the "patsy" at a poker game, then you are it. But I really don't know what the term means outside of being a put down for biased and/or pedestrian journalists and certain other writers.
If it simply means a political professional. all parties have those. It is not as though Anne McGrath or Brad Lavigne were off digging wells in Africa. They did what they do well (for the most part) - supporting and steering their parties in the crunch. If you don't have them, or don't have enough good ones with good judgement, you are really fucked, as Ignatieff, McLaughlin (with due respect to Les Campbell) and Dion all discovered.
That's the curious part. He actually does have principles. He hates and pursues Neo-Nazis with the relentlessness of some latterday Simon Wiesenthal and misogynists as well (see: https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/pa7bw7/james-sears-editor-of-canadas-most-racist-paper-ygets-year-in-prison-for-promoting-hate-your-ward-news) and he has had a go at much tougher characters like Wolfgang Droege. He would be found on the left of the Liberal Party policy-wise. It is just that his egocentrism leads him into all manner of personal animosities that end up in vitriol and mounds of litigation.
I find it completely believable that someone who's "on the left of the Liberal Party" is entirely comfortable working for Andrew Scheer. Says something about the Liberal Party, doesn't it?
Kinsella has some horrible things to say about Olivia Chow, calling her a "terrible" (his word) candidate - writing
She was a terrible candidate. Terrible. Her campaign manager didn’t know what he was doing. And the New Democrats around Chow – as I soon learned – are a closed shop. If you belong to another political persuasion, as I did, they will never fully let you in the door.
http://warrenkinsella.com/2018/09/nick-and-me/
After working on her campaign.
On some issues (Israel, criminal justice) he's very much to the right.
Kinsella's comments about Chow came after she "effectively booted from Olivia Chow’s mayoral campaign for deriding a rival transit plan as “segregationist,” political strategist Warren Kinsella said that Ms. Chow’s treatment of him “kind of stunk.” She was at least wise enough to get rid of him quickly and in typical Kinsella fashion he attacked her.
In addition to Olivia Chow's mayoral campaign, Warren Kinsella, the self labelled Prince of Darkness, has worked for Liberals, Greens, John Tory's 2018 mayoral campaign and Cons. However, he spent by far most of his time working for the Liberals, both federally and provincially, between 1993 and 2015. Why did the Liberals put up with him for so long?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Kinsella
piss off.
What were Kinsella’s titles when worked for the Liberals?
Liberals need not start acting holier than thou over this as Kinsella for an extended period of time was a key person in their election campaign
Liberals are right up there with the Conservatives the only difference being the Liberals are a lot sophisticated when they are doing dirty tricks
Look at how Justin was caught lying over the JWR / SNC scandal and we only know what’s come to light
What were Bob Rae's and Ujjal Dosanj's titles when they worked for the NDP before they switched to working for the Liberals?
So Liberal Kinsella who worked for the Greens was hired recently to attack the People's Party
It seems it is only the NDP that is not involved in this steaming pile of shit
Who knew!
Bernier's party? Yeah, I couldn't care less if his party wasa destroyed by any means. He's a Nazi and his party makes Andrew Scheer appear like a progressive. Fuck Bernier and his fascist party
The Greens we're gunning for the NDP. Remember New Brunswickgate?
Thing is, though, from your perspective as a Liberal supporter, this particular attempt at destroying Bernier's party would be bad news. Because the aim of Kinsella's Conservative paymasters isn't simply to knock off the PPC, but to have the PPC's supporters go back over to the Conservatives, thus allowing the Conservatives to take more seats that would otherwise have gone Liberal.
(None of which speaks to the legality or illegality of what Kinsella did, a topic which I am not qualified to discuss. I'm just saying, if you want the Liberals to win and the Cons to lose, you don't want to be cheering for Kinsella in all this.)
The only thing for sure that will come out of this is that Kinsella will sue somebody.
Himself.
There is definitely this issue, but at the same time, I don't want to see Maxime Bernier get any hold anywhere. The racism behind his ideology is very dangerous.
I'd like to think that we are better than this. 4-5% support is already alarming. That is 1 in 20-25 voting Canadians, so it is already out there.
This is what disappoints me. Over time, I fear that this hatred of minorities is only going to grow.
Ironically, the most nazi-like behaviour is exhibited by those who want to limit democracy and people's freedom to make up their own minds.
Even worse news than the PPC support: polling has shown that most Conservative Party supporters share Bernier's views on immigration.
I agree that it is alarming. 1% would be shocking to me. I try to focus on the signs of progress. Singh leading the NDP is one of them.
P.S. I'm glad he refuses to work with the Conservatives.
(Reply to #21)
Karl you responded to my post #21 with a comment that was not mine and was extremely rude.
My comment was in response to Mighty Middle's and was purely factual, stating bascially the reason Kinsella called Olivia Chow a terrible candidate was because she had quickly fired him after another of his attack dog comments. On the other hand, the Liberals had used him for twenty two years (1993 to 2015) as an attack dog and even had him run as a Liberal candidate in 1997. You still didn't answer the key question: Why did the Liberals put up with him for so long?
Or is telling people to "p--- off" when confronted with the facts your way of dealing with inconvenient facts from your perspective?
Here is post #21 for reference including the documentation of the Liberals use of the Prince of Darkness Warren Kinsella in federal and provincial elections repeatedly for the 1993 to 2015 period. The Liberals have certainly not been boy scouts when it comes to the dark arts of politics.
Actually, when Justin Trudeau became Liberal leader, Kinsella was no longer involved with the Liberal Party. Yes, he was an attack dog, but AGANIST Trudeau in his role as a former Liberal strategist on the late Sun News Channel - and he hasn't stopped attacking Trudeau since 2013.
Honestly every party does oppo research and has campaigns to damage other parties and I have yet to see an article on why what the Conservatives did against the PPC breaks the law. They always allude to illegal action but never actually spell out what specific law was broken.
I'm not an expert on electoral law, so I'd really like to know, which law did the Conservatives break in hiring Kinsella's firm?
In the Post, Chris Selley argued that there doesn't seem to be anything untoward about what the Conservatives did, but for that very reason, Scheer's refusal to admit it is what raises suspicions. Because if he were to just say "yes, of course", all he'd be copping to is politics-as-usual.
^ That said, is there some law in Canada against funding partisan advertising under a different label? My understanding is that Kinsella was taking money from the Conservatives, but distributing the memes using a name that didn't let you know it was a Conservative operation. Maybe that was the problem?
Of course given what Bernier himself (and some of his candidates) have said it is strange that the Conservatives would think they needed to hire someone to paint them as extremist. It is the refusal to confirm or deny that is the issue.
Well said pw - and best wishes this evening!