[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”2037″,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-14341″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”width”:”240″,”height”:”187″,”title”:”Election fraud press conference”,”alt”:””}}]]Yesterday morning began with a Postmedia News story in newspapers across the country – including the front-page of the Ottawa Citizen – reporting, “A citizen advocacy group is asking the Federal Court of Canada to overturn election results in seven ridings where telephone dirty tricks may have kept voters away from the polls. The Council of Canadians says pre-recorded robocalls and live calls influenced the outcome of votes in closely fought races in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon and Ontario. The group is backing the first legal challenge of election results since the Ottawa Citizen and Postmedia News revealed ongoing Elections Canada investigations into misleading election day calls in Guelph and other ridings. The organization’s lawyers filed four applications in court on Friday and was due to file three more Monday, all seeking have the results of the votes set aside.” That article is at http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Robocalls+Activist+group+files+legal+challenge+results+seven+ridings/6366499/story.html.
By early evening, Council of Canadians Board member and lawyer Steven Shrybman was being interviewed for the lead-story on CBC Radio’s As It Happens. Their website notes, “COUNCIL OF CANADIANS ROBOCALL LAWSUIT Seven Conservative ridings. Seven robocall-related lawsuits. The Council of Canadians asks the Federal Court to annul election results in seven ridings based on fraud and other irregularities.” To hear the interview, please go to http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/episode/2012/03/27/the-tuesday-edition-23/.
Then later that evening, Council of Canadians executive director Garry Neil was on CBC-TV’s The National. Their website notes, “The Council of Canadians, a citizens group, wants election results overturned in certain ridings. It feels the results were affected by fraudulent robocalls. Julie Van Dusen reports.” To see the news clip, go to http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_National/1242568525/ID=2216084490.
Additionally, the Toronto Star reports, “The federal election results in seven ridings are being challenged in court after more allegations of so-called ‘dirty tricks’, including robocalls. Citizen advocacy group The Council of Canadians announced its support Tuesday for a group of individuals who have filed legal challenges aiming to overturn the results in the seven ridings, including Ontario’s Don Valley East and Nipissing-Timiskaming.” The full story, with quotes from both Neil and Shrybman, can be read at http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1152860–robocalls-prompt-legal-action-in-seven-federal-ridings?bn=1.
The Canadian Press reports, “On Tuesday, the Council of Canadians said it will ask the Federal Court of Canada to overturn the 2011 election results in seven closely contested ridings. The left-leaning advocacy group claims the pre-recorded robocalls affected the results in those ridings.” That’s at http://www.globaltoronto.com/tech+firm+says+ndp+vote+hit+with+hundreds+of+thousands+of+malicious+requests/6442608850/story.html.
CBC Saskatchewan reports, “The Saskatchewan riding of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar is now caught up in the ongoing controversy concerning allegations of improper telephone calls, dubbed robocalls, made on election day. The Council of Canadians has gone to court, asserting that an automated machine may have misdirected a voter to cast a ballot at the incorrect location.” That on-line article also includes a poll on what should be done in this situation, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/03/27/sk-saskatoon-rosetown-biggar-120327.html.
And various news radio reports can also be found at http://www.680news.com/news/national/article/345522–legal-action-filed-to-overturn-election-results-in-robocall-ridings and http://cjme.com/story/robocall-allegations-surface-federal-saskatoon-riding/49804.
To watch the 14-minute video of yesterday’s media conference, please watch below or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ni8C8kfHco.
