Calls for greater transparency and further investigation
New information related to the 2011 Robocall scandal has been making headlines due to a partial lift on the publication ban. It has now been revealed that six Conservative staffers testified about Michael Sona’s public boasts on his involvement in the fraudulent robocalls. Sona has been charged by Elections Canada for willfully preventing or endeavoring to prevent an elector from voting, and is currently the only person facing charges relating to the incident.
Sona was the director of communications for Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke during the 2011 federal election campaign. Sona maintains that he was not involved with the fraudulent automated phone calls and that he has been made a ‘scapegoat’ in this case. Sona also allegedly attempted to steal a ballot box from a special ballot polling station on campus during the campaign. While the Conservative party has officially denied any interference at this polling station, eyewitnesses maintain their account of events.
In a separate Federal Court civil suit, Judge Richard Mosley found that widespread systematic fraud was involved with the robocalls, and that the Conservative Party’s database was likely the source of the information. However, Judge Mosley did not find the scale of the fraud to justify overturning the results of voting in six federal ridings. Judge Mosley was also unable to conclude that the Conservative Party or any of its candidates were directly involved in the voter suppression scandal. Complainants are now considering whether or not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
It is disheartening that, even after a year and a half, little information has been uncovered about the perpetrators of this mass election fraud. Although evidence has indicated the likelihood of Sona’s involvement, it is unlikely that this was the work of a single ‘rogue’ individual as has been suggested. After all, Sona was a just one junior staffer on a single campaign when these phone calls were sent to voters in multiple traditionally non-Conservative ridings.
By contrast, justice was swiftly served against Liberal MP Frank Valeriote for his misuse of robocalls in the last election. He was fined $4900 for automated phone calls to Guelph voters that failed to identify the Liberal Party as the source. This did not comply with CRTC’s Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, which require the identity of the caller and call back information. Valeriote has since taken full responsibility and apologized for the error. The calls in this case were intended to increase voter awareness, rather than suppress voting.
It is also troubling that the Conservative Party has been completely cleared of fault when a database that the party controls was the likely source of information. Indeed, there appears to be little concern on the part of the Conservative government over the potential use of their database in election fraud. Although the partial lift on the publication ban marks a movement towards greater transparency, it remains to be seen whether the ban will be completely lifted. Sona’s lawyer, Norm Baxall, has stated that if the government were really concerned about public awareness, a public inquiry would be performed.
The voter suppression tactics used in the last federal election were a serious attempt to subvert the democratic process. This comes at a time when Canada’s electoral system is already facing heavy criticism for failing to fully represent the needs and interests of Canadian citizens. Voter turnout has been increasingly declining, with only 43 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot in the last provincial election – an all time low.
It remains to be seen whether further investigation will reveal all culprits involved. Hopefully, the truth of the matter will be uncovered in order to obtain justice for the damage done to Canada’s democratic process.