Conservatives admit they’re behind false byelection phone calls in Mount Royal

Oh look, more proof the Liberals are coming back.

Thanks Debater, you rock!

What's being done to Irwin Cotler is nothing short of appalling, Arthur, whether Debater is the one to raise it or not. This is an unconscionable attempt to undermine his parliamentary privileges, which is an affront to our very parliamentary democracy. If the Commons Speaker doesn't call these brown-shirts to order, he is not worthy of the title.

The Liberals engaged in this kind of whisper push-polling against Father Andy Hogan, the NDP M.P. for Cape Breton-Canso, long ago, before Debater gets too high-dudgeon, when they phoned around in the middle of the 1979 election campaign and told people he had "fallen off the wagon". In fact, Father Hogan had had a heart attack. The story was documented in Jeffrey Simpson's book "The Discipline of Power". The Liberal behind that campaign was none other than Dave "entitlements" Dingwall.

Why indeed. I think I have already explained myself. Maybe you need to start reading what I write a little more carefully.

I'll tell you what, I think I have made my point. I'll try to stop hitting you over the head with a shovel over and over. Maybe you could try watch your tone a little bit in return. Do what you want, I'll try to drop it and be a little more civil.

We could start calling constituents in Mont Royal to ask their opinion on Cotler's decision to sit as a New Democrat.

ottawaobserver wrote:

What's being done to Irwin Cotler is nothing short of appalling, Arthur, whether Debater is the one to raise it or not. This is an unconscionable attempt to undermine his parliamentary privileges, which is an affront to our very parliamentary democracy. If the Commons Speaker doesn't call these brown-shirts to order, he is not worthy of the title.

Very well said.  

Debater wrote:

Arthur Cramer wrote:

Oh look, more proof the Liberals are coming back.

What are you referring to?  I don't see anything about that in this thread.  This thread is all about 2 things:  1) Conservative dirty tactics in Mount Royal  2) Irwin Cotler and his attempt to get the Con crime bill amended (in which I also complimented the NDP for supporting Cotler)

Mulcair will be speaking to that question in the law offices of James Lockyer in Toronto on Monday. We will see if any of the right-wing media pundits, including Liberal hangers-on, will be there. Always nice to see a Liberal support New Democrats' support for a true liberal (small l) like Irwin, not one of the sleaze-bag corporate kind.

OO, I am not attacking Cotler. I was simply commenting on the fact that the New Dems would naturally support him on his position. Lib or not, he came down on the right side of things. I don't know where you thought I was attacking Cotler.

I may not like the opposition, but I would be just as angry, and probably angrier if I found out the New Dems were up to it, because I expect us to be better.

There was no swipe at Cotler from me. I don't know how you could get that out of what I wrote. And in case this is underlying some of this, I am Jewish, and the last time I checked, I wasn't an anti semetic Jew.

I knew I was not at all sure of the memory. I was here when the smear campaign against Hogan happened. But back in BC when the Vatican did its thing [1984?] aimed mostly at the Sandanista priest/Minister. I thought it roped in Andy Hogan too, but the election must have happened before that whole thing. [Grumbles to himself about memory.]

nicky wrote:

I think Andy Hogan was defeated. KenS is probably thinking of the Catholic priest from Saskatoon (whose name escapes me) who was pressured to step down by the Vatican.

Bob Ogle

I think the NDP could take Mount Royal if Mulcair was leader, given his pro-Zionist views and the fact that he represents a neighboring riding.  

Julius Grey opposed Israel's attack on Gaza and also opposed a "no noise on the High Holidays" by-law in Hampstead, so I'm not so sure if Mount Royal is the right fit.  

That's a really scathing criticism of the Conservatives, and right on the mark.

Bruce Anderson on the same subject in the Globe:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/bruce-anders...

I would not call this particular "free speech" argument a resounding success for Peter Van Loan.

There's nothing new in seeing the Conservatives hiring a defeated candidate for 'outreach' work, but seeming to be the 'go-to' guy for anyone wanting to connect with the sitting government.

Here in Nova Scotia, when New Democrat Vicki Conrad defeated incumbent Tory Kerry Morash by 55 votes in the 2006 Provincial Election, afterwards there were announcements by the Conservative government that Kerry was invited to speak at, but they didn't let the sitting M.L.A. know about the events until after they had occured.

The voters in QUEENS saw through this, though, and in 2009, Vicki defeated Kerry by almost 2100 votes.

Give the voters a little bit of credit to see this for what it is...a crass, if not desperate, attempt to subvert the will of the people!

Quote:

Tuesday Dec. 20 Update : Phone calls to presumed Liberal voters in Con MP Peter Braid's riding advising them of false polling station location changes in the days days before the May 2 federal election have been traced to a "Conservative Party of Canada voicemail".

“I used them for a very specific and limited purpose and that was phone calling to constituents and voter identification,” said Braid.  “Nick [Kouvalis] has a particular expertise in this and that’s why it was helpful to have him involved.”

Braid said he’d consider using Campaign Research again, citing its excellent record with live phone calls. He added “It doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with everything they do.”

Presumably another example of Jason Kenney's "vital free speech" argument.
Despite evidence of just how entwined the history between the Cons and Campaign Research has become, expect imminent use of distancing weasel words like "over-zealous" and "party volunteer" from the Cons any moment now.

h/t The Record.

[url=http://creekside1.blogspot.com/2011/12/campaign-research-con-cats-are-ou... Research co-Founder Nick Kouvalis was Rob Ford's campaign manager[/url]

More deliberate Conservative scheming?

Conservative party says alleged crank call a mistake

The Canadian Press

Date: Tuesday Dec. 20, 2011 2:53 PM ET

OTTAWA - The Conservative Party of Canada says there's a honest explanation for why it directed an Ontario woman to vote at the wrong polling station during the last federal election.

Carolyn Siopiolosz had complained to Elections Canada that she received a phone call a few days before the May 2 election telling her she was to vote at a polling station in downtown Kitchener rather than St. Clements, Ont., the town where she lived.

"The caller identified himself as representing Stephen Harper," reads a complaint sent to Elections Canada by the Liberal riding president in Kitchener-Conestoga, Joe Nowak.

"Carolyn was asked if she planned to vote on Monday. She said yes. She was then told that her poll location had changed to Victoria Park Pavilion in Kitchener.

"She became suspicious because her original poll was to be immediately across the street from where she lived and she had not heard of any official change. She was asked by the caller if she would like a ride to the new poll."

The federal elections commissioner is currently investigating several complaints related to "crank calls designed to discourage voting, discourage voting for a particular party, or incorrectly advise electors of changed polling locations." Elections Canada spokeswoman Diane Benson said the office does not comment on its investigations.

The complaint from Kitchener follows another controversy involving calls and the Conservative party.

In the same riding where Siopiolosz received the election phone call, a campaign worker with Conservative incumbent Harold Albrecht was accused of dirty tricks when he bought up Internet addresses with the name of the local Liberal candidate. The addresses sent people to a Conservative party website attacking former leader Michael Ignatieff.

NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus said he's concerned a pattern of behaviour is emerging from the Conservatives.

"They seem to be in ridings where the Conservatives were fighting neck-and-neck with Liberals," said Angus. "They all seem to follow the same pattern.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20111220/crank-call-conservative-party-mistake-111220/

There were definitely misdirecting poll calls in Winnipeg South Centre (where Bateman narrowly defeated Neville) and in St. Boniface (where Glover wasn't doing as well as they had hoped). Those calls were traced to North Dakota I believe.

Arthur Cramer wrote:

Oh look, more proof the Liberals are coming back.

Thanks Debater, you rock!

I don't think the liebrals will be coming back anytime soon maybe in the election after next. Maybe