Lawyers for the Conservative Party MPs in the seven ridings being challenged have filed motions asking that the applicants file security for the Conservative MPs’ costs for a total amount of $250,000! Today we learned that this motion will now be heard by the Federal Court of Canada on September 18th.

Essentially, this Conservative Party motion asks the Federal Court to require that the applicants pay this amount in full and upfront — before the full hearings get underway this fall – as a security deposit should the applications fail and the Court award costs to the Conservative Party MPs.

These latest motions are outrageous and represent a new low in the Conservative Party MPs’ attempts to throw every obstacle in the path of these cases to prevent the full evidence from being heard by the Court.

Today’s news comes on the heels of attempts last week by Conservative Party lawyers to frustrate efforts by the applicants to obtain evidence from Elections Canada about the extent of voter suppression and election fraud.

Unfortunately, Elections Canada has declined to provide that evidence. Instead, it will ask the Court to decide whether it should be disclosed. This is good news in that it may result in the disclosure of vital information about fraud during the May 2011 federal election that has never been made public. That decision is also expected in September.

While these relentless obstructions by the Conservative Party continue to drive up legal costs, they will not dampen our resolve to defend democracy and restore voters’ rights. These cases must be heard and these nine individuals need the support of the Canadian public.

You can help right now! Click here to make your donation to the Democracy 24-7 Legal Fund and be a part of helping to ensure these landmark legal cases, and the restoration of our Canadian democracy, are pursued for as long as it takes.

The Conservative Party MPs are expected to file their evidence in the legal challenges any time now. As a valued Council of Canadians supporter, rest assured I will keep you informed in coming days on the latest developments.

Read more at www.canadians.org/democracy247

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