More on Robocalls

Here is an add-on to my post about robocalls… because I love Rick Mercer and he sums it up perfectly.

Robocalls – Just more Shit Harper Did

As a voter in the Guelph riding, I would like to share my experience and opinion on the Conservative tactics during the 2011 federal election. The big issue currently under discussion: robocalls. Elections Canada is currently sifting through over 30,000 complaints from the Guelph riding of people receiving robocalls that gave voters misleading information about voting locations. This was following an already shady Marty Burke campaign – Conservative communications director Michael Sona had tried to steal the ballot box at an advance polling station at the University of Guelph!

I was at my parents’ home in Guelph May 2^nd, and I answered the phone while my parents were at work. The call “informed” me that my voting location had changed. I mentioned it to my mom when she got home, and we both thought that it was weird. We decided to go to the location advertised online and in the paper. When we got there, there were Elections Canada signs, so we voted and didn’t think twice about the unusual phone call. We were just one of over 30,000 households in Guelph to receive this robocall. Guelph was a targeted riding that the Conservatives hoped to win in the 2011. All eligible voters in my family openly support parties other than Conservative (no blue signs on our lawn!) so it makes sense that we were one of the targeted households.

The robocalls have been traced to an IP address belonging to “Pierre Poutine” in Guelph. The House of Commons has unanimously agreed to boost the powers of Elections Canada to prevent issues like this in the future. I think that this NDP-proposed action is a positive step following the despicable actions in the last election. I hope that Canadians don’t forget about this and all of the shit Harper did, and hold his government responsible.

In the end, I am proud that Guelph was one of the few Liberal ridings in Ontario that remained Liberal. Frank Valeriote has been an ideal MP, often going against his own party and truly representing his constituency.

***Facts outside of my personal experience were taken from a Globe and Mail article ***