From CPC spokesman Fred DeLorey, sent out to Parliamentary Press Gallery members this morning. Presented here for your consideration, without warranty:
Just the Facts on Opposition Allegations
The NDP and Liberal parties continued their baseless smear campaign today. It is clear that they have no information to back up their claims.
After a week of unsubstantiated attacks in the House of Commons and in the media the facts below remain clear:
· Elections Canada confirmed polling locations changed:
o Elections Canada confirms that 127 polling locations, representing approximately 1000 polls, and potentially affecting nearly half a million Canadians were changed in the 2011 Federal election. (http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120227/robocalls-battle-house-of-commnos-120227/20120228/?hub=CalgaryHome)
o The Conservative Party of Canada called Conservative supporters to ensure they knew where to vote.
· Liberal supporters received calls originating in the US from people who identified themselves as the Liberal Party of Canada:
o The Liberals have claimed that in some ridings Liberal supporters received calls at inconvenient times that could be described as harassing from people who identified themselves as calling from the Liberal Party of Canada.
o The Liberals paid millions of dollars to make hundreds of thousands of phone calls in these ridings using firms that have US operations.
o Haldimand-Norfolk Liberal candidate Bob Speller has complained that harassing calls were being made on his behalf late at night. His campaign paid First Contact $4,062.35.
o Niagara Falls Liberal candidate Bev Hodgson has complained that harassing calls were being made on her behalf late at night. Her campaign paid First Contact $11,300.00.
o Sydney Victoria Liberal candidate Mark Eyking has complained that harassing calls were being made on his behalf late at night. His campaign paid First Contract $11,753.
o The Liberals have claimed that these calls originated from the US.
o The Liberal party is the party that sourced its phone calls from the US during the last election.
o A CBC investigation during the campaign traced some of these calls to Liberal-affiliated call centres. (http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/politics/story/2011/04/21/cv-election-call-spoofing.html)
o It is up to the Liberals to prove these aren’t Liberal calls before continuing these baseless smears.
· New allegations from the opposition are not based in fact:
o The NDP and Liberals have made a number of new allegations about similar calls being made in other ridings during the last election.
o When NDP leader Nycole Turmel was asked 8 times for hard evidence on CBC’s Power and Politics, she was unable to do so. (Power & Politics, CBC News Network, February 29, 2012)
o The NDP claim South Shore – St. Margaret’s received fraudulent calls, but the NDP riding president Wolfgan Ziemer says it’s not true: “There’s just no way that I can add any fuel to this fire, if there is a fire,” said Ziemer. “I have no idea how the riding got on (the list).” (Global News, Thursday, March 01)
o The Liberals claim Wellington – Halton Hills received fraudulent calls, but the Liberal candidate says it’s not true: “Barry Peters said he doesn’t recall hearing about any suspicious calls either while out door-knocking nor back at the office.” (Global News, Thursday, March 01)
· Elections Canada is looking into the reports in the riding of Guelph:
o There have been media reports about the investigation of a specific case in the riding of Guelph.
o The Conservative Party National Campaign did not organize or know about any such activities in that riding but has been cooperating fully with Elections Canada.
o If any untoward behaviour is uncovered, the Conservative Party demands that those responsible be prosecuted to the full extent of the law...
2 comments:
The Liberals paid millions of dollars to make hundreds of thousands of phone calls in these ridings using firms that have US operations.
o Haldimand-Norfolk Liberal candidate Bob Speller has complained that harassing calls were being made on his behalf late at night. His campaign paid First Contact $4,062.35.
What a wonderful non-sequitur! Why not be more creative next time and conclude with something like "His campaign paid Tim Hortons $23.40." (unless you're a crook trying to deceive Canadians into believing that $4,000 had anything to do with a US operation)
The Conservative Party National Campaign did not organize or know about any such activities in that riding but has been cooperating fully with Elections Canada.
And the Conservative Party's Target Seat Management Unit? The Conservative Research Group? The Conservative Party of Canada itself or top individuals within the party?
Dean Del Mastro made it perfectly clear earlier that references by Cons to "The Conservative Party" have absolutely nothing to do with the local candidates or the local campaigns. One can only assume that the same exactness of terms used also applies here.
In spades Anon.
In spades
(it applies)
.
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