Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Elections Canada urged to investigate Fantino

Three former members of Vaughan’s Conservative riding association have asked Elections Canada to investigate the campaign finances of Tory MP Julian Fantino.

In sworn affidavits filed with Elections Canada, Richard Lorello, Tracey Kent and Carrie Liddy allege that there were irregularities in Fantino’s 2010 by-election and 2011 election campaigns.

The three former riding association members allege that Fantino’s fundraising chair, Sam Ciccolini, said at a January 2011 meeting that there was a second bank account belonging to the campaign that contained more than $300,000.

It is against election rules to have more than one campaign bank account.

A spokesman for Fantino dismissed any idea of wrongdoing.

“Any information suggesting the existence of a second election bank account is incorrect,” spokesman Chris McCluskey said in an email.

Lorello, who was director of the association when the January meeting took place, alleges that Ciccolini wanted to turn the account into a riding association account without following election rules.

“This seemed highly irregular to us,” said Lorello, “because the account had not been audited by Elections Canada.” Lorello claimed the board members never even knew the account existed.

“Want I want is transparency into this account, he said. “Elections Canada rules are supposed to make financing transparent. This is not transparent.”

The group also claims there is a third account — neither a campaign account nor a riding association account — that they know little about.

“How much money was put in the third account, when, by who, and how was the money spent?” said Liddy, a Vaughan resident and onetime supporter of former Vaughan mayor Linda Jackson. “We want answers.”

Last May, Fantino handily won his Vaughan riding, after winning the seat for the Conservative in a by-election just six months earlier. The former Toronto police chief used a get tough on crime platform to defeat Liberal Mario Ferri.

Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Amy Dempsey

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