Conservative Party dismisses expert witness on robocall issue

The Conservative Party of Canada has dismissed an "expert witness" for the Council of Canadians who concludes in a sworn affidavit someone at a senior level of the Tory campaign must have authorized automated phone calls that sent some voters to the wrong polling stations during the 2011 federal vote.

"The only plausible explanation for such calling to have occurred is for someone at the senior level in a central political campaign to have authorized the strategy and provided the data and the funds with which to carry it out," the affidavit says. It was filed by Bob Penner, president and CEO of Strategic Communications Inc. Penner's firm assists federal and provincial parties, as well as other groups -including the Council of Canadians - with voter outreach and other campaign tactics.

Penner's affidavit will be submitted as evidence by the Council of Canadians, which will launch a legal battle Monday to have the results of the 2011 general election in seven closely contested ridings overturned.

Council of Canadians executive director Garry Neil said all evidence the council has collected for the case must be submitted to the Federal Court by Monday. He said Penner will play the role of "expert witness" in the matter.

Conservative party spokesman Fred DeLorey called the case "absolutely ridiculous" and said the party is confident the court will dismiss the notion of a voter suppression conspiracy.

"This is a transparent attempt to overturn certified election results simply because this activ-ist group doesn't like them," DeLorey wrote in an email. "Our job is to get our voters out, we do not engage in voter suppression."

Penner has worked as a pollster and strategist for political campaigns for Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall and former federal NDP leader Jack Layton.

In advance of his affidavit, Penner analyzed the robocall controversy and argued there was a "common pattern of voter suppression" before last May's federal election.

"This involved a preliminary call to identify whether an elector was, or was not, a supporter of the Conservative Party candidate in that riding, followed by misdirecting or harassing calls to the non-Conservative supporter on or before election day," Penner writes in the affidavit.

Original Article
Source:  canada.com
Author: Jeff Davis