OTTAWA — Lawsuits will be filed to annul election results in seven ridings across the country, the Council of Canadians said Monday.
The group announced it would be supporting the lawsuits but did not reveal what ridings will be challenged. The details are to be unveiled today at an announcement in Ottawa.
The Council of Canadians says the lawsuits are based on "evidence of irregularities, fraud and other activities that affected the outcome of the 2011 election."
Due to legal requirements, the group will not be launching the legal action directly, said spokesman Dylan Penner. Instead, the legal challenge will come from voters in each of the seven ridings in question.
Penner would not say how the Council of Canadians would be involved or if it would foot the legal bills.
It appears one area that will be challenged is the Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming. Peggy Walsh Craig, a resident of the riding, is to take part in today’s announcement.
In that riding, Conservative challenger Jay Aspin surprisingly defeated heavily favoured Liberal incumbent Anthony Rota by just 18 votes.
In late February, an investigation by the Ottawa Citizen and Postmedia revealed pre-recorded calls were going out to Liberal supporters before the 2011 federal election directing them to the wrong place to vote.
As media attention intensified, more people came forward with stories of suspicious calls. Tens of thousands of people contacted Elections Canada.
Elections Canada is investigating about 700 complaints of fraudulent "robo-calls."
The Council of Canadians was formed in 1985 as a citizens organization to fight for social justice.
On its website, it has been soliciting stories of "misleading or harassing actions" surrounding the 2011 election.
One riding in question is Cape Breton North, where supporters of Liberal incumbent Mark Eyking complained of being sent to the wrong location to vote.
Eyking defeated Conservative candidate Cecil Clarke.
Original Article
Source: the chronicle herald
Author: PAUL McLEOD
The group announced it would be supporting the lawsuits but did not reveal what ridings will be challenged. The details are to be unveiled today at an announcement in Ottawa.
The Council of Canadians says the lawsuits are based on "evidence of irregularities, fraud and other activities that affected the outcome of the 2011 election."
Due to legal requirements, the group will not be launching the legal action directly, said spokesman Dylan Penner. Instead, the legal challenge will come from voters in each of the seven ridings in question.
Penner would not say how the Council of Canadians would be involved or if it would foot the legal bills.
It appears one area that will be challenged is the Ontario riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming. Peggy Walsh Craig, a resident of the riding, is to take part in today’s announcement.
In that riding, Conservative challenger Jay Aspin surprisingly defeated heavily favoured Liberal incumbent Anthony Rota by just 18 votes.
In late February, an investigation by the Ottawa Citizen and Postmedia revealed pre-recorded calls were going out to Liberal supporters before the 2011 federal election directing them to the wrong place to vote.
As media attention intensified, more people came forward with stories of suspicious calls. Tens of thousands of people contacted Elections Canada.
Elections Canada is investigating about 700 complaints of fraudulent "robo-calls."
The Council of Canadians was formed in 1985 as a citizens organization to fight for social justice.
On its website, it has been soliciting stories of "misleading or harassing actions" surrounding the 2011 election.
One riding in question is Cape Breton North, where supporters of Liberal incumbent Mark Eyking complained of being sent to the wrong location to vote.
Eyking defeated Conservative candidate Cecil Clarke.
Original Article
Source: the chronicle herald
Author: PAUL McLEOD
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