Double Whammy: Election Fraud + In & Out?

Last November, the CPC and its fundraising organ pleaded guilty to their violations of the Canada Elections Act.

Senator Finley is a lying Attack Parrot™© flapping his gums and trying to divert attention from his CONtempt Party's record of illegal and criminal practices, in light of alleged voter suppression and election fraud activities during the 2011 campaign.

Last week Le Devoir's Hélène Buzzetti did some good old-fashioned investigative journalism and produced information that seems to demonstrate that the CPC did it again. Here's an adaptation of her findings, in English.

Using the telephone – what else for this kind of story? - she established that money that helped pay for the Conservatives’ automated robocalls went through Quebec.

She called up Quebec conservative candidates one after another.She had them singing like canaries in a mine after a while.

Bertin Denis, defeated Conservative candidate in Rimouski-Neigette-Témiscouata-Les Basques, (that’s a trip in itself) admitted his campaign organization had paid $ 15 000.01 to the Toronto-based Responsive Marketing Group (RMG.)

Bertin Denis laid it out plainly. He was no more than a "mail box" for paying phone call bills to other parts of Canada. The party had sent him $55,000 but he had to write out a cheque to RMG for $15,000.01.

Money in, money out. (Sounds familiar?)He couldn’t remember what the cheque to RMG was for.

There appears to be a number of Québecois CPC candidates who claimed expenses that were actually in support of activities done for the national campaign, and not for their riding. Robocalls support.

We have to keep the pressure up; it appears CONs are currently trying to discredit the Elections Canada investigation with every Rovian tactic at their disposal.

Many politically engaged bloggers who don't support the Contempt Party for a multitude of reasons and voted for other parties were puzzled that the Bruce Carson corruption story didn't sink Stevie's boat.

The Toronto Star's Susan Delacourt provides some insight into how the CPC accomplished that, in her excellent article:

Quoting from StatsCan figures, Soudas said that while 92 per cent of Canadians claimed to watch TV news and 70 per cent claimed to read newspapers, in fact the real figures are around 50 per cent for both.

This is why, Soudas explained, Conservatives concentrated their advertising buys on more popular, non-news TV shows. It’s also why the Conservatives pay close attention to giving citizens the same clear, strong imagery that Canadians are accustomed to seeing in their consumer brands.

No matter how hard the Cons try to deodorize this corruption and hide their criminal actions, their *brand* still stinks.

The New Grassroots

Great article by our pal, Antonia Zebisias, on the new grassroots.

In the olden days, about, oh, three years ago, citizens who engaged in political campaigns had to get off their sofas and into church basements and candidates meetings.

They knocked on doors, dropped off flyers, planted signs.

They put the act in activism, the haul ass in grassroots.

Today, during Canada’s 41st federal election, or #elxn41 as it’s called on Twitter, voters don’t need to shiver in the cold shilling for their candidate. They can commiserate with friends on Facebook, fight the power via Twitter and put their politics on YouTube.

Well-researched as usual, it's great roundup and overview of what people are doing and what the pundits are saying about it.

Among others, AZ mentioned the group close to my heart -- as regular readers will know.

Another CAPP spin-off is Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper (CRUSH), which the Conservatives have described as “a radical anti-Stephen Harper group.” More than 6,500 strong, the registered non-profit has invested thousands of dollars on newspaper ads.

“I have received small amounts of cash in envelopes from very ordinary folks from all corners of the country, usually accompanied with a nice note complementing us on defending our democracy,” says founder Bill Nobels, a retired Ryerson University film and video professor.

Since the election was called the radical gang has come up with another tactic, Adopt-A-Riding.

Individual members identify a riding with a vulnerable Con in it, do some media research, then try to raise dough to buy ads in local papers.

The first one was Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar. Mission accomplished. Ads will appear Monday.

Next was Vaughan and Thornhill, one ad buy, two targetted Cabinet Ministers. A two-fer!

Done. Money raised.

Next up, West Nova.

Brad Bossack, sponsor of this one did the research:

Three newspapers cover the whole riding, the Middleton Spectator, the Digby Courier, and the Yarmouth Vanguard. I've decided that 1/4 page ad in all three would be a fairly easy achievable goal for the cost of 618.91.

That one's in the bag too.

Now, CRUSHers have their eye on: Haldimand-Norfolk currently held by the lovely and talented Minister of Something or Other, Diane Finley, a noted social commentator best known for observations like these:

On employment insurance: “We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it.”

On child care: “The Liberals wanted to ensure that parents are forced to have other people raise their children. We do not believe in that.”

She's married to the lovely and talented Senator Doug Finley, he of In/Out fame.

This is just grand. Ordinary, pissed-off Canadians rising up (couldn't resist) to defend democracy. Our democracy. Not Stevie Peevie's. Ours.

Got a few bucks to spare? Want to defend democracy from the odious Finleys? Donate.