Elections Canada has launched a formal investigation into complaints by various liberal candidates in Ontario that someone made repeated calls to voters, claiming to be the Liberal supporters - often at odd hours, including the middle of the night.
The Liberal Party is blaming cooperatives competing to put in place the harassing phone calls, late in the night that require residents to vote liberal. The appeals appear to be districts of targeting are waiting close races.
A survey of CBC News was pursuing many complaints with local Liberal campaign across offices in Ontario, including Oakville, St. Catharines, Haldimand-Norfolk, Simcoe Grey, Guelph, Eglinton — Lawrence, St. Paul and Mississauga East-Cooksville. Calls are also produced in Egmont, P.E.I., and St Boniface, man., CBC News was able to determine who made the calls.
Bob Rae, the Liberal candidate in Toronto Centre, told journalists Tuesday morning that calls must come from another party.
"If you want to obtain support for your party, is not a very good idea for people by phone at 2 o'clock in the morning," Rae said in Ottawa. "I think that everyone understands that.". It is therefore likely to come from another party. ?
Steve MacKinnon, who is running for the party in Gatineau, Quebec, went further, suggesting that the conservative party is responsible.
"I have known something like this, but it would have much to do with the fact that the Conservatives are not particularly present in the riding of Gatineau," MacKinnon said.
But the Conservative spokesman Alykhan Velshi, stated that the party is involved, "period."
"The only party with access to the list of members of the Liberal Party is liberal." You are certain that they are not to make calls to their members? ", he said.
The objectives of the call are not limited to the members of the Liberal Party, however. CBC News Dave Seglins spoke to the NDP and conservative supporters who has also been bombarded by calls.
The Liberals have sought whether it is their own people who make calls, said John Mraz, Advisor to the party.
"What they essentially do is accusing us of incompetence," said Jason Mraz.
"Cannot me believe that campaigns would not be aware of records that have been manipulated with the voice of their candidates, which is currently three autoblasted, four, five times in one evening." We cannot find any forensic evidence around any of our service providers have made these calls. "And we tested."
Liberal candidate Bob Speller said that calls in his riding of Haldimand-Norfolk use her voice.
Jason Mraz, said that the calls were used in the United States to remove the right to vote. The technique is to irritate voters so that they stay at home on polling day.
"It is absolutely clear to me that my party is not engaged in voter suppression tactics any", said Mraz. "And it is clear to me that us would never have repeatedly call our supporters or our liberal voters identified in the middle of the night, four times in one evening, on a Sabbath when we know to be practicing their faith.". These calls are very clearly organised by a person with the intent to remove the liberal vote. ?
Ronald g. Shaiko, senior fellow of the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, said Democrats and Republicans have tried both the strategy, but he has a partner generally Republican because lower turn-out tends to take advantage of this part.
Shaiko argues that it is likely that a third party is responsible for appeals.
"I suppose, as the American parties, that there is shadow organizations which are directly aligned with the Conservatives and the Liberals and a ridicule that leaders of the two parties could say" we have noting to do with this ""Said Shaiko."."
CBC also contacted most of the candidates conservative, NDP and Green Party in the electoral districts, the statement calls, and none of them have had reports of harassing calls from people who say that they represent their parties.
Among the most recent complaints are some coming from residents in the constituency of Toronto of St. Paul, where Jewish voters complained about receiving harassing calls during the Passover celebrations last night. Liberal candidate Carolyn Bennett vehemently denies his campaign made all these calls and tweeted Tuesday: "we, not.". "play fair!"
Liberal candidate Joe Volpe said in a press release Tuesday that his constituency was also targeted during the Sabbath.
"Only our political opponents would benefit from these incessant calls, a tactic taken directly from the manual Republican sale-tricks," Volpe, a candidate for Eglinton-Lawrence, said in the release.
Speller complained Friday to elections Canada that someone sends deliberately repeated appeals with a recording of his voice on it and with a call to display the number of local-area-code even automated.
CBC spoke to dozens of people who reported that rude or repeated calls, as well as automated call first, the company contracted by the Liberals to legitimize automated calling. Owner Mike O'Neill said he believes that someone may be "spoofing", or pretend, the display to show a number the Liberals have used in the past for a telephone Town Hall.
And he suggested that someone has used a recording of voice of the spell checker to make unauthorized automated messages, insisting for calls to elicit complaints are produced in the days and hours when his company nor the Liberals made all calls. CBC was able to confirm the true origin of the 519-area calls.
CBC also received complaints of Eglinton-Lawrence, Simcoe — Grey and Sudbury residents stating that they receive repeated calls for a North Dakota area code, with rude callers live or automated messages claiming to be Liberals.
The liberals insist on the fact that they are not behind the calls and have not committed any American company. Traces of numbers to a phone number cell in North Dakota and a message at the other end says that it is a call centre. CBC was not able to confirm who is behind the calls, the number, or if the number is simply a "phoney" caller ID.
Raymond Simard, Liberal candidate in St. Boniface, says his campaign first heard talk of calls Monday and focuses on it.
"We knock on the door in some of our buildings and people had indicated just that we had to call them at the same time," he said. "We have said absolutely not." So what happens, they call our offices by telling people to be harsh with them. ?
Simard, said he asked other candidates to this subject on a conference call and they believe what is happening in nine electoral districts.
He said "Something going on,". "They target constituencies that they think are vulnerable.". It is an organised scam, trying to irritate voters. It is absolutely disgusting. ?
The campaign starts to look messy, with signs are degraded and a Liberal supporter charged with stealing signs of a conservative competitor to Brampton West, just outside Toronto. Rachpal Singh Grewal, which explains the signs found in his car were planted, a court date in May.
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