.

[capricorn]

National Newswatch has issued an apology to RMG.

Retraction and Apology: An article published March 6 referred to Responsive Marketing Group Inc. (“RMG”). No allegation has been made that RMG employees were asked by RMG to direct voters to the wrong polling stations in the last federal election. There is no evidence that RMG has used “robocalls” to deliberately mislead electors. We apologize to Responsive Marketing Group Inc.

http://nationalnewswatch.com/

With all the apologies and retractions flying around, a dedicated thread may become necessary.

[Topaz]

Dude you have no evidence for this.

Who's throwing feces against the wall?

I haven't heard anyone call for a new election in MSM, even the Star and the CBC. Does EC even have the power to call another election?

To even approach that being needed you'd have to prove the Tories cheated and won in 30 or more ridings.

I didn't say the Tories cheated, I said so much "stuff" coming out that that someone did, that you can't say with 100% certainty that the election was a HONEST election.

[UofGPolitico]

you better hope no conservative was behind any of that..im talking volunteers, anybody who worked on the campaigns

or else it will turn into a big deal and not just a big deal to the opposition parties

it doesn't have to be an MP that gets caught

If people working on the Guelph campaign are the only ones who are implicated, I do not see it having legs to bring down the entire Conservative government. It would have to be middle management or the war room implicated for it to have real traction I think.

[cybercoma]

I agree...On all counts...Nevertheless...The government was correctly caught in a Contempt of Parliament charge.

The charge was serious,and proceedurially (sp),correct...My opinion is that most people don't realize the historical gravity of that charge,and simply dismissed it...

And the historical gravity of a contept of Parliament charge being answered by giving that party a majority government. What it does is send a message that the voters consent to contempt of parliament, that there's no ramifications, and that those kinds of actions are not only acceptable, but the majority suggests encouraged.

[CPCFTW]

And the historical gravity of a contept of Parliament charge being answered by giving that party a majority government. What it does is send a message that the voters consent to contempt of parliament, that there's no ramifications, and that those kinds of actions are not only acceptable, but the majority suggests encouraged.

Or perhaps it suggests that Canadians care more about government getting things done than cheap political stunts to drag Canadians to the polls in a vain attempt to seize power. Attack the message, not the messenger. The problem, I suspect, is that even the leftist parties know that the conservative message is correct... so they have to resort to fabricating scandal after scandal.

Edited March 9, 2012 by CPCFTW

[lukin]

Or perhaps it suggests that Canadians care more about government getting things done than cheap political stunts to drag Canadians to the polls in a vain attempt to seize power. Attack the message, not the messenger.

How come we didn't here of the robocalls in, let's say May, right after the election. Anyone who thinks the CPC was behind these calls are in for a rude jolt of reality.

[capricorn]

you can't say with 100% certainty that the election was a HONEST election.

Neither can you say that even one of all our previous elections was 100% honest. Every election someone does something dishonest which isn't necessarily illegal but is unethical. Every election someone does something dishonest which is illegal; some got caught others did not. Heck some simply make mistakes. The reason is that elections are run by human beings and being human means having frailties and faults.

Topaz, in your heart of hearts I think you already know this.

[cybercoma]

How come we didn't here of the robocalls in, let's say May, right after the election. Anyone who thinks the CPC was behind these calls are in for a rude jolt of reality.

I don't know who this "we" is that you're speaking about, but there were plenty of reports of this going on right after the election.

[UofGPolitico]

John Ivison just posted this exclusive. They apparently have an IP address for Pierre Poutine.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/03/08/pierre-poutine-robocalls/

[olpfan1]

John Ivison just posted this exclusive. They apparently have an IP address for Pierre Poutine.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/03/08/pierre-poutine-robocalls/

I doubt it'll be the real perp, the bad guy always gets away by using a decoy, like in Phonebooth & Joy Ride

[j44]

John Ivison just posted this exclusive. They apparently have an IP address for Pierre Poutine.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/03/08/pierre-poutine-robocalls/

Ahhhh, I heard him mention this on CBC today. I was waiting for it. Thanks.

[UofGPolitico]

I doubt it'll be the real perp, the bad guy always gets away by using a decoy, like in Phonebooth & Joy Ride

Using a name like Pierre Potuine does not suggest this person is that crafty lol.

[UofGPolitico]

Ahhhh, I heard him mention this on CBC today. I was waiting for it. Thanks.

Haha, as was I lol. I kept checking the website periodically all evening.

[olpfan1]

Using a name like Pierre Potuine does not suggest this person is that crafty lol.

still, Pierre Poutine..is hilarious, I can't believe that wasn't all over CNN, they must not get Canadian sense of humour

[j44]

still, Pierre Poutine..is hilarious, I can't believe that wasn't all over CNN, they must not get Canadian sense of humour

Or they don't care about Canadian politics because they are in the midst of their own election.

[j44]

Haha, as was I lol. I kept checking the website periodically all evening.

lol. I kept checking twitter but I gave up over an hour ago.

[olpfan1]

Or they don't care about Canadian politics because they are in the midst of their own election.

but how often does a scandal with an alias Pierre Poutine from separatist street come up? they lost their opportunity to make fun of us

anyways, when Pierre Poutine is caught I want to buy him / her a beer for having a sense of humour

[olpfan1]

has anyone thought that maybe this was a test run? the article mentions

Pierre Jones gave what appears to be a false address in Joliette and made payments using PayPal that were purchased with a pre-paid Visa gift card. He then set about making a number of phone campaigns apparently designed to mislead voters, although only one was sent out.

[olpfan1]

does this mean that THEY KNOW WHO HE/SHE IS?

Mr. Meier said he had his “Eureka” moment at 3 a.m. one morning, and by 5 a.m. had written a 22 page report for Elections Canada. “He [Pierre Jones] screwed up. Just for a fraction of a second but it was enough for me to find him,” he said.

[CPCFTW]

I doubt it'll be the real perp, the bad guy always gets away by using a decoy, like in Phonebooth & Joy Ride

Maybe you should stop constructing your reality around works of fiction like The Wire, Phonebooth, and Joy Ride? It's really quite sad.

[olpfan1]

Maybe you should stop constructing your reality around works of fiction like The Wire, Phonebooth, and Joy Ride? It's really quite sad.

It get's sadder, but that is for another time

[j44]

Maybe you should stop constructing your reality around works of fiction like The Wire, Phonebooth, and Joy Ride? It's really quite sad.

I have no idea what two of these three things are but I think you may have ruined them for people who care but didnt see them.

[olpfan1]

I have no idea what two of these three things are but I think you may have ruined them for people who care but didnt see them.

I feel sorry for you, The Wire is the best tv show ever, joy ride & phonebooth are two great suspenseful movies

[j44]

I feel sorry for you, The Wire is the best tv show ever, joy ride & phonebooth are two great suspenseful movies

I know what the wire is. I'll have to live with you feeling sorry for me because I didn't see those movies.

[olpfan1]

I think by now all signs point to pierre poutine being Andrew Prescott

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/life/story.html?id=6274256

OTTAWA — On the day “Pierre Poutine” activated the burner cellphone used to launch his robocall blitz on voters in Guelph, a young Conservative campaign worker sent out a message on Twitter warning of “voter suppression calls” aimed at his party.

Andrew Prescott, deputy campaign manager to Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke, tweeted on April 30, “Anti-#CPC voter suppression phone calls currently underway in Guelph, suspecting #LPC #elxn41” — referencing the Twitter shorthand for the Liberal Party of Canada and the 41st general election.

Prescott, a self-described cellphone expert, followed up a few minutes later with another tweet claiming that these phone calls were “using spoofed Caller-ID of Burke campaign. I ‘wonder’ who it could be ...”

Later, Prescott tweeted about these alleged calls again, saying “#LPC internal polling must be BAD, considering the dirty voter suppression calls underway in Guelph ...”

He also sent a public Twitter message to CBC blogger Kady O’Malley, speculating the Liberals’ internal polling “must be REALLY BAD, voter suppression calls in Guelph AND Halton ... anywhere else?”

But it was not until two days later, on election day, that reports of fraudulent Elections Canada calls began to flood in, prompting the agency to send out a press release warning electors to ignore the fake calls.

More than 100 voters misled by the fake robocalls showed up at the Quebec Street Mall polling station, where some of them ripped up their voter IDs in anger.

The Citizen could find no media reports from Guelph referring to spoofed phone calls or voter suppression calls aimed at Burke supporters before election day.

Elections Canada has traced calls from a disposable Virgin Mobile cellphone registered to the name Pierre Poutine, to RackNine, the Edmonton based voice-broadcasting company that was used, unbeknownst to its owner, to send out the fake Elections Canada calls at the centre of the robocalls scandal.

Prescott is the only Burke campaign worker known to have held an account at RackNine. He has denied any involvement in those calls, saying he used the service only for legitimate reasons, to promote Burke campaign events and, on election day, to warn Burke supporters about fraudulent calls.

Asked about the tweets on Thursday, Prescott sent an email saying he did not want to comment. Pressed, he emailed back, “you’ve already tried and sentenced me in your own mind, so I’m through talking to you. But for the record, you’re wrong. Goodbye.”