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05-28-2013, 12:52 PM
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#1 | Hypa owned my ass at least once
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| Court Decides that Canada’s 2011 Elections Were Fraudulent Electoral fraud did take place in 2011 federal vote, judge rules | Canadian Politics | Canada | News | National Post Quote:
Electoral fraud occurred during the last federal election, a federal court judge ruled on Thursday, but there is no proof that it affected the outcomes in six ridings at issue, so the elections will not be overturned.
The court challenge was brought by the Council of Canadians, which sought to overturn the election of six Conservative MPs who won close ridings where there was evidence that someone tried to affect the results by calling opposition supporters and telling them their polling stations had moved.
Federal Court Judge Richard Mosley ruled that the calls “struck at the integrity of the electoral process by attempting to dissuade voters from casting ballots for their preferred candidates. This form of ‘voter suppression,’ was, until the 41st General Election, largely unknown in this country.”
The evidence points to “a concerted campaign by persons who had access to a database of voter information maintained by a political party,” Mosley writes, but says there was no allegation that any of the candidates in the six ridings were responsible for the campaign.
“I find that electoral fraud occurred during the 41st General Election but I am not satisfied that it has been established that the fraud affected the outcomes in the subject ridings and I decline to exercise my discretion to annul the results in those districts.”
The decision fails to give the Council of Canadians the result it sought, but may pose a political problem for the Conservatives, who have steadfastly rejected any suggestion that the party mounted a voter suppression campaign beyond the infamous “Pierre Poutine” robocall in Guelph, Ont., which the party has blamed on rogue elements.
Mosley does not conclude that the party was involved, but does say the evidence points to the use of the party’s database.
“In reaching this conclusion, I make no finding that the Conservative Party of Canada or any CPC candidates or RMG and RackNine Inc., were directly involved in any campaign to mislead voters,” he ruled.
“I am satisfied, however, that the most likely source of the information used to make the misleading calls was the CIMS database maintained and controlled by the CPC, accessed for that purpose by a person or persons currently unknown to this court.”
Maude Barlow, national chair of the Council of Canadians, said the decision “should disturb Canadians a lot.”
She said her organization welcomed Mosley’s findings as “a very good decision.”
The finding of fraud, she said, is stated “clearly and boldly.”
Barlow said while she was disappointed Mosley didn’t overturn the results, the felt the larger finding of fraud was more important than the results in six seats.
“We feel this is a very powerful statement and are pleased that the decision has come forward this way,” she said.
“We would, of course, liked to have the individual ridings overturned, but I think the much more important point is the finding of fraud.”
Barlow said she didn’t think anyone could try to subvert an election using robocalls again.
“I think it would be much harder.”
She said it would be up to the applicants in the six cases whether to launch an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada after Mosley’s decision.
Barlow said her organization has already spent “hundreds of thousands” on the court case, much of it from money raised through an online fundraising campaign.
Their legal fees were increased, Barlow said, by the repeated attempts by the Conservative MPs to derail the legal proceedings through a series of motions to dismiss the case.
The judge had harsh words for the tactics the Conservatives used in fighting the case.
The Conservative party’s lawyer, Arthur Hamilton, sought to have the case thrown out several times, relying on an argument that the council was engaged in “champerty and maintenance,” an ancient legal principle that prevents vexatious lawsuits by people who have no legitimate interest in a case.
Mosley ruled that “there is no evidence that the applicants acted for any reason other than to assert their rights to a fair election as Canadian citizens and electors.”
Mosley had harsh words for the legal tactics employed by the Conservatives during the case, saying they indulged in “trench warfare in an effort to prevent this case from coming to a hearing on the merits” while the council sought “the high ground of promoting the integrity of the electoral process.”
The judge pointed out that the Conservatives “made little effort to assist with the investigation despite early requests,” and noted that Hamilton was notified during the election that improper calls were being made.
Mosley rejected repeated Conservative personal attacks on pollster Frank Graves, stating that they “added nothing of value to the record before the court.”
A telephone survey by Graves, which found many opposition supporters reported receiving fraudulent calls, was at the heart of the council’s case, but Mosley found it did not “provide firm ground on which the court could have confidence in finding that the fraud affected the results in any of the six ridings.”
Mosley found that Elections Canada’s evidence showed the voter suppression effort was “geographically widespread but, apart from Guelph, thinly scattered” and did not have a “major impact on the credibility of the vote.”
The council and the Conservatives faced off in court in Ottawa for five days in December.
Conservative party spokesman Fred DeLorey said that “there was no wrongdoing by the Conservative Party or any of the candidates or campaign teams targeted by these applications and the court noted that not a single voter was produced to testify that they were prevented from voting due to alleged voter suppression.”
He also took a shot at the challenge, calling it a “transparent attempt to overturn certified election results simply because this activist group didn’t like them.”
| Not sure how I missed this one last week, but this alone is a compelling enough reason for me to not vote for the Conservatives in the next federal election.
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05-28-2013, 01:01 PM
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#2 | VLS Head Mod
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I'm sick of the shit the conservatives and liberals have been doing and will be voting green in the next election. Greens are the one party who haven't had a chance in office and all the 3 that have has had some sort of corruption so I think it's time for them to get a chance and show us what they can do to better our country and environment Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 01:04 PM
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#3 | I contribute to threads in the offtopic forum
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everything about harper screams george bush v2.0
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05-28-2013, 01:27 PM
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#4 | To me, there is the Internet and there is RS
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Originally Posted by saucywoman I'm sick of the shit the conservatives and liberals have been doing and will be voting green in the next election. Greens are the one party who haven't had a chance in office and all the 3 that have has had some sort of corruption so I think it's time for them to get a chance and show us what they can do to better our country and environment Posted via RS Mobile | Greens have absolutely no change of winning.
__________________ Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. |
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05-28-2013, 01:45 PM
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#5 | VLS Head Mod
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That's fine. I've voted liberal or conservative the last 10 years and I'm sick of their corruption so gonna start voting green Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 01:50 PM
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#6 | To me, there is the Internet and there is RS
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Originally Posted by saucywoman That's fine. I've voted liberal or conservative the last 10 years and I'm sick of their corruption so gonna start voting green Posted via RS Mobile | Why not NDP?
__________________ Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. |
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05-28-2013, 01:50 PM
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#7 | My homepage has been set to RS
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inb4 CIC comments
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05-28-2013, 01:54 PM
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#8 | Hypa owned my ass at least once
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With the Conservatives being fraudulent crooks, and the Liberals being the inept dumba$$es that they are, does it mean the federal NDP is gonna have a chance at the PM crown at all? If Layton was still here, I suspect they just might. But with him resting in peace, I really don't know how things are gonna play out for the federal NDP.
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05-28-2013, 02:01 PM
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#9 | ninja edits your posts without your knowledge
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Originally Posted by Traum With the Conservatives being fraudulent crooks, and the Liberals being the inept dumba$$es that they are, does it mean the federal NDP is gonna have a chance at the PM crown at all? If Layton was still here, I suspect they just might. But with him resting in peace, I really don't know how things are gonna play out for the federal NDP. | Liberals are probably going to make a strong push along with the NDP whereas the CPC will likely lose seats.
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05-28-2013, 02:30 PM
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#10 | I contribute to threads in the offtopic forum
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Tldr Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 02:46 PM
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#11 | Banned By Establishment
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Originally Posted by dinamix Tldr Posted via RS Mobile | TL;DR?
This is important shit that strikes at the heart of your country's democracy and you should pull your naive head out of your ass and pay attention.
Last edited by Gridlock; 05-28-2013 at 04:52 PM.
Reason: dinosaur loves it when I misspell.
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05-28-2013, 03:10 PM
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#12 |
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Tldr for me also.
Cliff notes? Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 03:15 PM
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#13 | I only answer to my username, my real name is Irrelevant!
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The Conservative appointed CSIS watchdog head has been arrested, he went on the lam before charges of fraud were brought forth regarding a billion + dollar health centre deal; Harper insists his position as our spy agencies watchdog didn't come into play -_- Former CSIS watchdog boss arrested on fraud charges | News1130 |
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05-28-2013, 03:42 PM
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#14 | Official Texas Ambassador
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Originally Posted by saucywoman That's fine. I've voted liberal or conservative the last 10 years and I'm sick of their corruption so gonna start voting green Posted via RS Mobile | Quote:
Originally Posted by dinamix Tldr Posted via RS Mobile | Quote:
Originally Posted by smoothie. Tldr for me also.
Cliff notes? Posted via RS Mobile |
tl;dr - Saucy is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by MG1 She taught me right from wrong and always told me to stay positive and help others no matter how small the deed - that helping others gives us meaning to carry on. The sun is out today and it's a new day. Life is good. I just needed a slap in the face. | |
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05-28-2013, 04:47 PM
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#15 |
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| no time to read all that shit at work
Fuckin sauce woman Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 05:15 PM
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#16 | I subscribe to Revscene
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Originally Posted by shawnly1000 inb4 CIC comments | In before Harper government criticizes Iranian June 14 elections.
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05-28-2013, 05:23 PM
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#17 | VLS Head Mod
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Originally Posted by Manic! Why not NDP? | Look at the corruption they caused and the piece of work they did to Canada.
El bastards and smoothie you're both cruising for a ban Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 05:42 PM
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#18 | I *heart* Revscene.net very Muchie
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I want in on the ban wagon too. Lawlssss Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 05:43 PM
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#19 | Banned By Establishment
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Originally Posted by saucywoman Look at the corruption they caused and the piece of work they did to Canada.
[/i][/size] | I think you are thinking about BC.....fed NDP is a little different and have never been in power federally.
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05-28-2013, 05:43 PM
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#20 | I STILL don't get it
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Ironic, democratic thread with dictatoring threats Posted via RS Mobile |
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05-28-2013, 06:01 PM
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#21 | I don't get it
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Smoothie and dynamix's attitude is a partial reason why politics at all three levels of government is so toxic in this country. Voters want soundbites and catchy slogans, and don't want to spend the time researching the over-arching issues. I blame the creeping Americanization in Canada-we are bombared by US style 24-hour news cycles that facilitate "Coles Notes Campaigns".
On a side note, apparently the Koch Brothers bankrolled these robocalls. They are known for financing the campaigns of batshit insane right wing politicians in the US.
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05-28-2013, 06:13 PM
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#22 | Banned By Establishment
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Originally Posted by CharlesInCharge In before Harper government criticizes Iranian June 14 elections. | Oh, is it time already to elect Ahmadinejad to another term, or are the unelected clerics putting a new face up as the sole name on the ballot?
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05-28-2013, 06:19 PM
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#23 | Banned By Establishment
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Originally Posted by BurnoutBinLaden Smoothie and dynamix's attitude is a partial reason why politics at all three levels of government is so toxic in this country. Voters want soundbites and catchy slogans, and don't want to spend the time researching the over-arching issues. I blame the creeping Americanization in Canada-we are bombared by US style 24-hour news cycles that facilitate "Coles Notes Campaigns".
On a side note, apparently the Koch Brothers bankrolled these robocalls. They are known for financing the campaigns of batshit insane right wing politicians in the US. | Beyond that, there have been a lot of changes to the parties that doing the same old thing may not apply.
Conservatives? Really the reform party, absorbed the PC party and dropped the progressive...which is a HUGE difference. They promise nothing progressive in their policy, and are starting to show it.
NDP? Huge fundamental shift in what they are preaching in order to go more mainstream. Their fundamentalists are either gone, or being muzzled but their platform has suddenly gained a huge Quebec focus
Liberals I think are responding to those changes by losing themselves and their identity.
Bloc...dead? Not sure.
Green...never was.
So, if you are used to voting for the same old thing year after year, you may find that the same old thing isn't what it used to be.
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05-28-2013, 06:33 PM
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#24 | I only answer to my username, my real name is Irrelevant!
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Originally Posted by Gridlock Oh, is it time already to elect Ahmadinejad to another term, or are the unelected clerics putting a new face up as the sole name on the ballot? | it's not like that at all for iran the clerics backed him initially and never again since, hence the uprisings we saw years ago (and the reasoning why the us didn't officially assist because the opposition was a cleric supporter) Ahmadinejad is said to actually not be a supporter of the clerics and has tried going against them as much as possible (whenever he made a crazy statement its believed he did that to placate the hardliners) not sure what's happened since the uprising those years ago maybe he fell back in line (most likely)
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05-28-2013, 06:35 PM
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#25 | I only answer to my username, my real name is Irrelevant!
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Originally Posted by saucywoman Look at the corruption they caused and the piece of work they did to Canada. Posted via RS Mobile | pardon?
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