Referendum fraud one of greatest scandals in our political history

scribblet · June 1, 2008

I'm putting this here as it affects the whole of Canada..

I wonder why nothing was ever done about this, should there be now.. I'm inclined to think there should be an inquiry or whatever, it just might unseat a few bloc MPs and lessen their strength and ability to break up Canada.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/colu...b3-f9173dccd00e

Referendum fraud one of greatest scandals in our political history

Yet none of the institutions we depend on for justice seemed to give a damn

NORMAN WEBSTER, The Gazette

Published: 6 hours ago

Those "spoiled" referendum ballots from 1995, off for burning or shredding or kitty litter or whatever, represent a huge failure of Quebec society. What we have here is inaction in one of the great political scandals in Canadian history - arguably, the greatest of them all. If it had succeeded, its consequences would have far outranked the Pacific scandal or Beauharnois, Munsinger or sponsorship.
To recapitulate, many thousands of perfectly valid No votes in the sovereignty referendum were thrown out by Parti Québécois poll officials. More such votes were accepted only because observers on the scene raised a stink. Nobody knows how many No votes across the province were, or almost were, illegally invalidated - but their total could have been decisive in what everyone knew would be a skin-of-the-teeth poll.

Simply put, this was fraud that could have cost us our country.

Now, you might think this would qualify as a Big Deal. You might think it merited serious investigation, followed by ruthless prosecution, followed smartly by a few large cheeses being strung up by their thumbs, preferably in public and in prime time. The message might have gotten through that Quebecers will not accept this sort of criminality.

Yet none of the institutions we depend on for truth and justice seem to give a damn. All have given it the big yawn. Banana republics are, by comparison, models of diligence and integrity.

Leafless · June 1, 2008

I'm putting this here as it affects the whole of Canada..
I wonder why nothing was ever done about this, should there be now.. I'm inclined to think there should be an inquiry or whatever, it just might unseat a few bloc MPs and lessen their strength and ability to break up Canada.

Whatever makes you think that even if Quebec had won that referendum, that they would just be able to pack up and leave?

Wild Bill · June 1, 2008

I'm putting this here as it affects the whole of Canada..
I wonder why nothing was ever done about this, should there be now.. I'm inclined to think there should be an inquiry or whatever, it just might unseat a few bloc MPs and lessen their strength and ability to break up Canada.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/colu...b3-f9173dccd00e

Referendum fraud one of greatest scandals in our political history

Yet none of the institutions we depend on for justice seemed to give a damn

NORMAN WEBSTER, The Gazette

Published: 6 hours ago

You know, if the Tories had committed the fraud we would likely never have heard the end of it! It would have been considered a crime against the Universe and the CBC would still be running it as the lead story every news hour.

Borg · June 1, 2008

Whatever makes you think that even if Quebec had won that referendum, that they would just be able to pack up and leave?

Maybe a great number of canadians would have helped them pack.

kebec has been a drain on canada for generations

Borg

Topaz · June 1, 2008

You know, if the Tories had committed the fraud we would likely never have heard the end of it! It would have been considered a crime against the Universe and the CBC would still be running it as the lead story every news hour.

I think that goes for the Libs and the NDP also in this case. I really don't think the Bloc should be seating in parliament and perhaps the only reason they are there is to avoid violence again.

Peter F · June 1, 2008

I'm putting this here as it affects the whole of Canada..
I wonder why nothing was ever done about this, should there be now.. I'm inclined to think there should be an inquiry or whatever, it just might unseat a few bloc MPs and lessen their strength and ability to break up Canada.

Inquiry has already been conducted. In 1996 the allegations of electoral fraud were investigated by the chief justice of the Quebec Superior Court. He found that in three particular riding there appeared to be irregularities (Chomedy riding - the worst case - had a rejection rate of 11%!) . But he also found that overall the vote counting/rejecting was legitimate except in three ridings.

Some particular scrutineers were sued by the Quebec government but not found guilty because the court could find no evidence of systematic vote stealing. This verdict was appealed twice and lost both times.

IE. The scrutineers in question were certainly overzealous but there was no evidence of a plot to steal the referendum by vote rejection.

I'd love to supply links to the above but all this happened 10+ years ago and no links can be found outside of wikipedia and articles no longer available in the Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, Globe and Mail and probably every other newspaper in the country.

Im sure these things are available in Librarys across the land however...

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/colu...b3-f9173dccd00e

Referendum fraud one of greatest scandals in our political history
Yet none of the institutions we depend on for justice seemed to give a damn

NORMAN WEBSTER, The Gazette

Published: 6 hours ago

So Norman Webster is trying to manufacture a crisis where there is none - as per usual. I suspect he ran out of essay ideas with a deadline looming.

Edited June 1, 2008 by Peter F