My recent Access to Information request revealed that Elections Canada has spent almost $780,000 chasing the fantasy that Conservatives robocalled Canadians into voting in the wrong places in the May 2011 federal election.
But despite such a ridiculous theory being disproven time and time again -- by journalists, bloggers, and first-hand campaign staffers -- Elections Canada continues to investigate.
There must be some driving force behind continuing this investigation even with such damming evidence that nothing illegal (besides the Liberals' robocalls in Guelph, of course) actually took place.
In a previous post I wrote that the Commissioner's Office spent $192,203.48 on "Investigators' Fees and Salaries." So who are these investigators?
Thouin is the same Elections Canada employee who led RCMP officials (and plenty of media) to Conservative Party headquarters to execute a search warrant regarding the "In and Out" debate.
But Thouin is not an employee of Elections Canada, rather an independent contractor. He's not listed as an employee on the federal government employee directory and he's filed returns as an independent government contractor for the past several years.
Are you connecting the dots yet? An independent contractor with a known history of dragging media into legal investigations -- to Conservative headquarters for sensational propaganda shots -- is now working for Elections Canada on an investigation into whether the Conservatives illegally robocalled Canadians.
In what other democracy would you throw an obviously partisan individual into the middle of an investigation that must remain neutral? And then allow him to bill Canadians over $33,000, no less?
Could Elections Canada really not handle its own investigation? It had to outsource one of the Commissioner's primary mandates to private firms who are anything but neutral?
Furthermore, how did Elections Canada a) decide on which contractors to hire; and b) how much those contractors would be paid, considering the robocalls investigation was not a foreseen Elections Canada expense?
And finally, why have the investigators all seemingly been given $78,444.35 contracts? That's an odd number, don't you think?
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Hardly original.
SURPRISE SURPRISE, it's a Conservative & right-wing propaganda website! Plenty of ad space for Manning conferences, links to videos of SUN "News", always eager to attack the left (NPD, Libs), drinking the neocon Kool-Aid, etc.
One must wonder where do they get their fundings from? Same place as the Fraser Institute and other right-wing "think tanks" paid for by big corporations & big money (ex : Koch Brothers)?
there was official denial and disowning going on before the cpc party finally admitted that it was "internal miscommunication".
This reminds me of the only charges laid in the BC Rail investigation/ Legislature Raids.....minor contractors doing the government's bidding afterwards blamed for it etc......while the real crime (the giveaway of a major public asset to the party's major campaign donor via a rigged bidding process) was kept out of the light of day; when the defence's trial strategy was obviously emerging as a grilling of the whole BC Rail matter, the intended sideshow was peremptorily shut down to keep the premier, most of cabinet, the heads of all the major railways and a bank president, all from having to testify....
but THIS - "But despite such a ridiculous theory being disproven time and time again -- by journalists, bloggers, and first-hand campaign staffers -- Elections Canada continues to investigate."
I just so much spin and bafflegab and outright lying. WHAT bloggers and journalists have disproven it? First-hand campaign staffers who disavow all knowledge of ANYTHING? That's their job, for pity's sake. We know the calls happened, SOMEONE did them, and that Elections Canada in fact told various Tory campaigns to cease and desist three days before the election as complaints were pouring in, yet the Tories are known not to have stopped ,and Elections Canada DID NOTHING. Disaqualificatins were in order, IMO. But now this "blogger" (propagandist and sleight of hand artist is more like it) is claiming the opposite of the truth.
but THIS - "But despite such a ridiculous theory being disproven time and time again -- by journalists, bloggers, and first-hand campaign staffers -- Elections Canada continues to investigate."
I just so much spin and bafflegab and outright lying. WHAT bloggers and journalists have disproven it? First-hand campaign staffers who disavow all knowledge of ANYTHING? That's their job, for pity's sake. We know the calls happened, SOMEONE did them, and that Elections Canada in fact told various Tory campaigns to cease and desist three days before the election as complaints were pouring in, yet the Tories are known not to have stopped ,and Elections Canada DID NOTHING. Disaqualificatins were in order, IMO. But now this "blogger" (propagandist and sleight of hand artist is more like it) is claiming the opposite of the truth.
Ejected bully boy Brazeau will make that as a absentee Senator in just 5 years.
BTW , Danny. Does it strike you at all as odd that was have an 'access to information act' to gain knowledge of topics on the public record?
As for Mr Thouin? Just imagine what the CPC would have gotten away with, if it was not for Mr. Thouin in regards to the in and out scandal.
And with the developement of the push poll this past week in Saskatoon, and the CPC, and there MPs denying at first that they were not involved, and the sneaky way in which it was done through a third party and Racknine being involved in this push poll!!!
And lastly Mr Blogger, there should be NO PRICE on democracy!!!!! It does not matter what it costs, it must be investigated fully!!!!!
It is much better to have outside independent people looking into the affront on democracy, as it would have less chance of government interference in the investigations.
Further the author failed to mention that the conservative party was allowed to make a copy of the database rather than send over the actual database and that the owner operator and voice of Racknine worked with the investigation to plumb through the database.
The conservatives think Canadians are either stupid or irrelevant that is why they continue to treat us and Canadian values with such disrespect.