Having just watched Question Period, we can see a bit of the Harper strategy in dealing with this election cheating scandal unfold. Recall that this is the Prime Minister who ran away from a confidence vote that was sure to defeat his government, in late fall of 2008, and who
Continue readingTag: Elections Canada
Impolitical: Today in Robocon
1. There’s a huge story in the Star that will move Robocon much further down the road: “Conservative scripts misdirected voters in 2011 election, say call centre staff.“ Callers on behalf of the federal Conservative Party were instructed in the days before last year’s election to read scripts telling voters
Continue readingImpolitical: For your clean and ethical government needs
Scandal Scrubber will attempt to rub out those pesky stains that may tar a “clean and ethical” government. Not recommended for use at home. (h/t old friend the Wingnuterer)
Continue readingImpolitical: Harper denies: Not feelin’ it
Harper actually deigned to comment on the fraudulent robocall scandal: “Our party has no knowledge of these calls. It’s not part of our campaign,” Mr. Harper told reporters on Thursday. “Obviously, if there is anyone who has done anything wrong, we will expect that they will face the full consequences
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – pogge points out that the Cons’ response to the perception that judges aren’t fully onside with their efforts to impose top-down control has been to eliminate the judiciary’s ability to ensure fair results: Where the institutions of government have put constraints on
Continue readingBlevkog: Democracy, for some, is an exercise in hoodwinking voters
Disgusting: Elections Canada has traced fraudulent phone calls made during the federal election to an Edmonton voice-broadcast company that worked for the Conservative Party across the country. While the agency investigates, aided by the RCMP, the Conservatives are conducting an internal probe. A party lawyer is interviewing campaign workers to
Continue readingImpolitical: Elections Canada investigates Conservatives redux
Big report by Postmedia last night: “Fraudulent election calls traced to Racknine Inc., an Edmonton firm with Tory links.” Some of the details and then a few thoughts below: Postmedia News and the Ottawa Citizen have found that Elections Canada traced the calls to Racknine Inc., a small Edmonton call
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: If Stephen Harper Was Still a Libertarian he Would Hate Stephen Harper
There is a great site called 404 Systems Error, that functions much like Wikileaks, though with Canadian content. They have recently posted an old fundraising letter of Stephen Harper’s from 2001, when he was heading up the corporate funded activist group: the National Citizens Coalition. The NCC has always painted themselves
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: NCC fundraising letter exposes Stephen Harper’s hypocrisy
Way back in 2001, Elections Canada charged a certain Paul Bryan for violating section 329 of the Canada Elections Act. Stephen Harper, then President of the National Citizens Coalition, a conservative lobby group that has …Read More
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On avoidable barriers
Plenty of others have already commented on Elections Canada’s National Youth Survey Report. But I’ll take a moment to highlight a couple of the findings that look particularly significant as the NDP works to build up turnout among younger voters in the years to come. First, there’s the media breakdown
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your afternoon reading. – pogge rightly questions the Cons’ continued efforts to have decisions made by ministerial fiat rather than through public debate. – Glen McGregor eviscerates Brian Lilley’s thoroughly inaccurate attack on Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand. – Murray Mandryk suggests that Saskatchewan’s New Democratic
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On agreed facts
Most of the commentary on the Cons’ publicly-admitted law-breaking has focused on the mere guilty plea itself. (And I’ll post to Sixth Estate’s post as deserving of a look.) But the agreed statement of facts – which the Cons have equally admitted as tr…
Continue readingTough On Crime For Thee, But Not For Me
You’ve gotta hand it to those Harpercons. Really. I mean, only they can declare victory after pleading guilty to avoid trial for Senators Finley and Gerstein. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have struck a deal with prosecutors to drop embarra…
Continue readingCalgaryLiberal: RE: Rae calls for end to turf wars
Last night I was sent a link to an article in the Winipeg Free Press about Bob Rae calling out Liberal cliques, Liberal navel gazing, and turf wars. The Globe and Mail pipes in as well. I couldn’t agree more. Mr. Rae has signaled that he wants C…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: History repeating
In 2008, it was then-cabinet minister Gary Lunn who wound up embroiled in at least a minor scandal over coordinated third-party expenses.And in 2011, there’s once again some sign of shenanigans afoot. In particular, a cluster of third parties based in …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Chris Selley points out the absurdity of Ontario’s Libs and PCs both running away from the idea of a coalition just as needlessly as their federal counterparts. But let’s remember that since the NDP spoke up for…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Libby Davies weighs in on what comes next for the NDP:(Jack Layton) had a vision for Canada that was about inclusivity and fairness, and he was willing to work with others to make this happen.However, …
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: We’re not ready for online voting
I read today that Elections Canada is considering dipping its toe into the waters of online or e-voting: Canada’s chief electoral officer says he’s committed to seeking approval for a test of Internet voting in a byelection held after 2013. Marc Mayr…
Continue readingCalgaryLiberal: VSP’s Ten Rules for Liberal Debate
When I first joined the Liberals in ’08 I didn’t know what I was getting myself into–I didn’t know the culture, the debate customs, or many rules of order. I just wanted to contribute. I didn’t know how to deal with some o…
Continue readingdjkelly.ca: CBC Radio column: Time to change Elections Canada’s arcane rules
In this alberta@noon column on CBC Radio One with host Donna McElligott I talk about Elections Canada’s ban on reporting the results of a federal election in a time zone where the polls have not closed yet. Topics include the $25,000 fine, the difference between media and people using social media,
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