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By John Klein, on May 10, 2013, at 10:00 am Good news on the RoboCon front: A team of talented, non-political-party-aligned Canadians is working to notify masses of people of the piles of evidence detailing the largest election fraud scheme in Canadian history.
There are piles of evidence. I’ve collected some of the most important bits here for you to listen to, or look through.
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“The Conservative Party can say absolutely definitively it has no role in any of this.” – Stephen Harper, PM, in the House of Commons, 2012. Now it’s 2013, and Conservative campaign worker Michael Sona is charged with illegal robocalling.
Guelph was Ground (Read more…)
By John Klein, on May 10, 2013, at 1:34 am I found a very worthwhile campaign to fight misinformation and apathy with robocalls and art by non-political-partiers, and hope you’ll assist with its crowdfunding. If you can’t make a PayPal payment, they’ll take Interac email money also if you ask.
I’ll be talking more about this in the morning, along with a few quotes that help show the Prime Minister lied last year about Conservative Party involvement in RoboCon.
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I was looking back at my early predictions for what the 2012 Robocalls scandal could wind up doing to Canadian politics. A set of scenarios for an early general election (Read more…)
By John Klein, on May 8, 2013, at 7:03 pm The verdict for the Robocalls Federal Court challenge is still not in, after the judge started deliberating and writing back in December. No rush, I guess. Why hurry when we’ve coped for 2 years already with a probably illegitimate government? They are willing to run a confessed election criminal in Labrador, and promise him a cabinet seat again should voters be stupid enough to vote for Penashue again. Fool them one, shame on the Cons; Fool them twice, it’s from working closely with Elections Canada and a compliant, docile media.
I’m pretty pissed off that it’s nearing the middle of (Read more…)
By Greg Fingas, on April 19, 2013, at 11:01 am Assorted content for your Friday reading.
- Julian Beltrame writes about the reality that Canada has multiple workers available to fill every job – with an assist from Erin Weir: The case for job shortages in Canada became thinner Tuesday with the most recent data showing vacancies actually fell to 200,000 at the start of the year, meaning there were 6.5 unemployed workers chasing each opening.…“This is a striking low job vacancy number and it really casts doubt on this idea that we have a labour shortage,” said Erin Weir, a labour economist with the United Steelworkers union.
(Read more…) think most of this idea of labour shortages is based on anecdotes from the business community. They might have a different definition of a labour shortage. Employers might believe that if they can’t get the employees they want at the wages they are prepared to offer — that’s a . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
By John Klein, on April 18, 2013, at 5:33 pm One of the companies involved in defending the Conservative MPs who are having their riding wins challenged by the Council of Canadians and citizens of six ridings affected by fraudulent Elections Canada robocalls, is in financial difficulty.
Cash-strapped Tory fundraising company owes federal government $1 million in unpaid taxes. canada.com/news/Cash%2Bst… @stphnmaher— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) April 18, 2013
In documents filed in U.S. bankruptcy court, iMarketing Solutions Group Inc. (IMSGI) lists the Canada Revenue Agency as well as the governments of Quebec, Nova Scotia and Manitoba among its creditors.
The company, through its subsidiary Responsive Marketing Group,
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Con-Friendly RMG and Debts to Canada #RoboCon #cdnpoli
By John Klein, on April 16, 2013, at 6:06 pm A week ago, Elizabeth May finally got a response from the Queen of Canada regarding the sovereign’s position on election fraud in our country. Her opinion is that Harper’s appointed Governor General is the suitable person to decide if a Royal Commission should be held to investigate the Prime Minister’s party supporters who fraudulently robocalled thousands to mislead them on where to vote. Thousands more calls were made pretending to be Liberals or NDP who were rude.
If the Governor General decides not to investigate why it took over 701 days to charge a single man with an elaborate cross-country
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Well, That Didn’t Work. Queen Steps Back
By Greg Fingas, on April 7, 2013, at 1:07 pm Assorted content for your Sunday reading.
- Stephen Maher points out why we shouldn’t believe the Cons for a second when they claim to care about cracking down on offshore tax evasion: The top level of Canadian society is a small club, and it includes politicians. The people who run the country are on excellent terms with the business people who squirrel away money in offshore tax havens.
Shea’s meaningless tough talk was prompted by a CBC report that said Saskatchewan lawyer Tony Merchant has $1.7 million in a Cook Islands bank. Merchant’s wife, Pana, was appointed to the . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
By CuriosityCat, on April 3, 2013, at 10:08 pm Michael Sona: Whom should I call?
Sona, charged with being the man behind the voter suppression robocalls in Guelph in the suspect May 2011 election, has, through his lawyer, repeated that he is not the personwho set up the voter suppression calls. His lawyer has called for a public enquiry into the mess (fat chance on that when our government is headed by a man who seems more intent on avoiding public debate of public matters). But his lawyer also said Sona now had the chance to state his say in court. Guess who I expect Sona to subpoena . . . → Read More: CuriosityCat: Robocon: Guess who Sona will call as witnesses?
By John Klein, on April 2, 2013, at 5:55 pm It’s been more than 701 days since Elections Canada first became aware of a nation wide malicious robocalling scheme to misdirect non-Conservative voters away from legitimate polling stations for the May 2, 2011 election where Stephen Harper swept to power as a majority government.
I don’t think Michael Sona, who has been charged by Elections Canada, can be fully responsible for the robocalls made in Guelph on behalf of Conservative supporters, nor could he have had sole access to phone numbers used in other parts of the country. I’ve documented the technical reasons behind these beliefs, over the past 13
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: 701 days, 1 charge, 234 ridings #RoboCon
By calgarygrit, on April 2, 2013, at 5:53 pm The first charges in the Robocon Scandal have been laid against Michael Sona.
Most interesting in this, is that Sona’s lawyer has signalled they intend to shift the blame to the Conservative Party:
Neither Mr. Sona or I will be making any public statements beyond the following statement at this time.
Although the charge is disappointing, it represents an opportunity for Mr. Sona to finally address the allegations in a court as oppose to in the media and resolve it permanently. I cannot help but comment, that if the government was interested in the public being fully informed and
. . . → Read More: Calgary Grit: Robocon
By CuriosityCat, on March 27, 2013, at 5:20 pm A snippet from the report: Inability to compel testimony Individuals who are not suspected of wrongdoing often have relevant information that could assist in determining whether the Canada Elections Act has been contravened and shed light on the circumstances of the contravention. Often, their collaboration is critical at the early stages of an investigation. However, experience demonstrates that, for a number of reasons, these individuals may refuse to collaborate with investigators, or they may only agree to do so after considerable efforts and delays that may result in the loss of key evidence. For example, in the case of . . . → Read More: CuriosityCat: Elections Canada and Robocon: The Uncompellable Three
By John Klein, on March 20, 2013, at 11:20 am Kady at CBC learned that Peter Penashue’s campaign started while he was still a Minister, suggesting the Conservatives calculated at least one last photo-op before he stepped down as Minister and an MP for Labrador.
Yesterday I sent an email to Elections Canada and three MPs, regarding the startling lack of charges laid against Penashue. I suspect Elections Canada is seeking a way to justify ordering only a “compliance agreement” where they will make him spend less than his limit in his upcoming election campaign, even though he blew past the last limit with impunity and tens of thousands
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Penashue Campaigns Early #cdnpoli
By John Klein, on March 18, 2013, at 8:50 am I think it’s fair to call the money paid by the Conservatives back to Canadians, in lieu of disgraced Minister Peter Penashue repaying us, as hush money, akin to bribery. The Conservatives inexplicably are signalling that they’ll welcome Penashue as their candidate in the upcoming Labrador byelection, despite the fact that it seems probable that he’ll be found guilty of election fraud at some point in the coming years (because the wheels of Elections Canada justice turn that ridiculously slow). They are framing the situation as one where if Penashue wins his seat in a byelection, it
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Penashue Hush Money From Conservatives – Working Closely with #RoboCon
By John Klein, on March 14, 2013, at 4:29 pm The country could hold its breath, but would probably pass out for waiting. When will Conservatives be charged for their election fraud crimes? Here’s a summary from Sixth Estate listing the allegations Penashue has admitted were correct today, as he guiltily stepped down. Canadians should not let Elections Canada off the hook by letting them write another compliance agreement with a criminal Minister.
Elections Canada was pursuing this business with Penashue. Will there be a compliance agreement? Is this part of it?— Stephen Maher (@stphnmaher) March 14, 2013
.@TraceyKent Going by Penashue and Van Loan "punishments", Fantino (if
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Peter Penashue Stepping Down #RoboCon #elxnfraud
By Greg Fingas, on March 14, 2013, at 10:48 am This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Yves Engler highlights the two-tiered justice system exacerbated by the Harper Cons, as anybody with a sufficient level of privilege avoids any punishment for wrongdoing: One law for the rulers and another for the rest of us — wasn’t that supposed to have ended with feudalism?
If a poor person is caught taking a computer or some other piece of property from a federal building you can bet police will be called and the thief will go before a judge to decide if she/he goes to jail. Yet when a Senator who
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on February 23, 2013, at 10:47 am Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Chrystia Freeland points out why productivity doesn’t provide an accurate picture of economic development if it merely results in increased inequality rather than shared benefits: Productivity and innovation, the focus of policy makers and business leaders, no longer guarantee widely shared prosperity. “Digital technologies are different in that they allow people with skills to replicate their talents to serve billions,” Mr. Brynjolfsson said. “There is really a drastic winner-take-all effect because every industry is becoming like the software industry.” Classical economic theory isn’t entirely wrong. The danger isn’t — as it was . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on February 14, 2013, at 8:51 am This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova offer up a framework for a more progressive and fairer tax system.
- Andrew Hanon looks behind the Fraser Institute’s labour-bashing and finds that what it’s really criticizing is fair pay for women in the public sector.
- Fern Brady notes that conservatives have succeeded in pitting exactly the people with the greatest need for social assistance against each other – with the result being that far too few people are questioning whether cuts serve any useful purpose in the first place: Logically, I’d expect those on
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
By pogge, on February 13, 2013, at 11:06 am Democracy Watch has a new feature on their website. It’s explained here:
Today, Democracy Watch launched its online counter to track how much time has passed since the federal Conservatives have violated Parliament’s deadline for introducing a bill to restrict election fraud robocalls and strengthen election law enforcement. As of today, the Conservatives have been in violation of the resolution for more than 19 weeks.
The House of Commons passed a resolution unanimously last March setting a deadline of the end of September for the Conservatives to introduce the bill.
Resolutions of that type aren’t binding but as DW
. . . → Read More: Peace, order and good government, eh?: Campaign Capers: In which the government drags its feet
By Greg Fingas, on February 10, 2013, at 3:20 pm Assorted content for your Sunday reading.
- Ian Lovett reports on the use of “capital appreciation bonds” in California to ensure that future generations pay an inflated price to private-sector developers for infrastructure today.
- Justin Ling’s review of Joyce Murray’s message about electoral non-competition pacts is well worth a read – but I’ll particularly highlight this part: Do you want Stephen Harper to be defeated in the next federal election?
Alright, we’re already off to a rocky start.
Politics of negation is dangerous, ugly, and unfortunately rears its ugly head very often in leadership campaigns.
“Elect me and I’ll
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
By Greg Fingas, on February 9, 2013, at 10:13 am Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Tabatha Southey rightly turns Brad Trost into a poster boy for the Harper Cons’ deliberate aversion to critical self-evaluation: We shouldn’t be too quick to judge.
Let’s instead take a cue from Conservative MP Brad Trost, who, when questioned regarding the calls, said, “I don’t think there was anything wrong with the robo-call. I think it was good and accurate information and we should stand behind it.”
Then Canada’s Candide went on to add, “I didn’t hear it. I don’t know the script. Don’t know anything. … One of my colleagues had
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
By John Klein, on February 7, 2013, at 4:28 pm If you need your blood pressure raised, Daniel Dickin has just the treatment for you. The persistent hack, perpetual election fraud defender, suggests that because there are no resulting charges for the misdirecting robocalls that Conservative supporters ran across the country on May 2, 2011, the investigators’ expenses should be put under a microscope. Yes, a “journalist” suggests that crime is expensive to investigate, so if there are not results, the investigation of a fraud, is a fraud itself. Well, he may well be onto something, because 651 days to investigate a major national crime, with no charges is kinda
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Investigate the Investigation? #RoboCon
By Greg Fingas, on February 7, 2013, at 8:35 am Here, on the difference between genuine accountability and the rather more barbaric version on offer from the Cons and the Sask Party.
While there are too many examples of the latter to list, I’ll point out a few of the most recent ones – including the federal Cons’ false denials and subsequent finger-pointing over their push-poll robocalls, Con MP Brent Rathgeber’s declaration that he doesn’t want the public having access to PBO research which doesn’t serve a requesting MP’s purposes, and the Sask Party’s concerted attack on Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor
By John Klein, on February 6, 2013, at 4:18 pm One of Regina’s 3 finest Conservative MPs has fingered Jenni Byrne as ultimately responsible for the misleading push-poll by “Chase Research” which has apparent ties to RackNine in Alberta.
Lukiwski throws Ottawa CPC official under the bus for robocalls; calls tactic deceptive. ottawacitizen.com/news/story.htm… #skpoli #cdnpoli— Murray Mandryk (@MMandryk) February 06, 2013
Byrne ran the Conservative election campaign in 2011 which just happened to be boosted by anonymous Conservative supporters running illegal robocalls that fraudulently pretended to be from Elections Canada, and misdirected electors away from their correct polling stations. The result of those robocalls was enough to
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: #RoboCon RoboBus Meets #Jennimandering
By John Klein, on February 6, 2013, at 1:39 pm Last week I got a robocall from “Chase Research” and listened to it all, taking notes when I realized it was a Conservative push-poll and would cause a scandal. I waited for the number to push to repeat the message or options, but pressing 9 just erroneously thanked me for responding, provided a contact phone number (306-993-2392) and hung up. I called the number to find out more, right away, and got a message that it was Chase Research and to leave a message, which I did. A friend’s place I was at an hour later also got the call
. . . → Read More: Saskboy’s Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: RoboCall Boundary Edition #RoboCon 650 days and counting
By Greg Fingas, on February 6, 2013, at 8:46 am Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Tim Harper writes about Scott Vaughan’s final report as the federal environmental commissioner: Scott Vaughan doesn’t have the profile of some of his contemporaries but as the environmental commissioner bowed out with a final report Tuesday, he reminded official Ottawa how much he will be missed.
Vaughan is leaving after five years of what he calls — in typical understatement — identifying “gaps” in the environmental policies of the Conservative government. More often than not, those gaps are more like chasms.
He also departs at a time when the environment and the economy
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
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