It appears that only sampling a few polls is okay with Election Canada's rules. It also appears to be legally valid for a Judge to rule when enough polls have been counted. So, everything was done according to the existing rules under Elections Canada. My question is who made that rule? Parliament or Elections Canada? Does Elections Canada have the ability to change the rules that political parties must operate under during an election? How impartial is Elections Canada if they are being taken to court by the Conservative Party.
This is not so much an issue about what the Judge did, as how confident are you in Elections Canada anymore. Just before the election was called, the Ethics Committee was dragging the Conservative Party through the mud that is the so called "in and out" scheme. Never mind that this issue is before the courts, they wanted dirt and they were determined to find it. The committee was taped and you can go watch both days of testimony here, July 15 and 16th.
For those of you who only want the interesting tidbits. Try watching these Youtube videos that summarize what happened in that committee.
For the other parts here are the links for you to watch at your leisure.
Ethics Committee Part 2
Ethics Committee Part 3
Ethics Committee Part 4
Ethics Committee Part 5
Remember Edmonton Center which Anne McLellan kept winning by very small margins? People were allowed to vote in her riding by registering their office address, even storage container addresses? Elections Canada only "fixed" that riding because of a formal complaint by Laurie Hawn.
Elections Canada probing registration irregularities in Edmonton Centre
Gordon Kent, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, January 20 2006
EDMONTON - Elections Canada has sent out a team of troubleshooters from Ottawa to sort out irregularities with the Edmonton Centre voter registration list.
There could be hundreds of people on the revised voters list released last week whose addresses are offices, post boxes, storage yards, or don't exist at all, according to Conservative research.
"We need to tighten up the system. Those opportunities shouldn't be there," Tory candidate Laurie Hawn said Thursday.
Funny how she lost in that election by over 3000 votes. Laurie Hawn went on to win the riding by over 10,000 votes more the Liberals in 2008.
What all this does is call into question Elections Canada, their impartiality, and what their role should be in the future. Do we need a watchdog over the watchdog? How many watchdogs are needed to keep our democracy running as it should? One vote counted, ALL votes recounted. SIMPLE.
17 comments:
Elections Canada needs to prove to Canadians that they have the voters right to be counted first and foremost in the Vancouver South situation. If they ignore this situation then voter apathy will only increase. Why vote if Elections Canada do not even bother to count it.
My father always told me that every Canadian has one vote and no matter your address we are all equal in Canada.
The way Elections Canada is handling the count in Vancouver South would suggest otherwise. In Quebec and PEI every vote gets counted but not in Vancouver. What happened to the Liberal Charter of Rights? Elections Canada has its own Charter of rights depending on your Address. Shame, Shame.Canadians deserve better Elections Canada.Stop voter apathy by doing this recount properly.
i live in Vancouver South and my only regret is that i didn't volunteer in the election. next election i will.
Link to wrong blog?
Not seeing anything about this at Blue.......
Link to a great Christie column though!
In Quebec and PEI every vote gets counted but not in Vancouver.
Exactly, Fay! Why is that? We need answers!
Steve I, yes please volunteer next time. Scrutineers are always needed. Never enough.
Jim, I had some thinkin' to do, but it's back.
Hunter, thanks so much for posting this.
If the judicial recount is the LAST count, it should be the most thorough.
Makes sense no?
I was a scrutineer last week and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I got to the poll and found out that the job had nothing to do with being a pirate.
Al
Joanne, you are very welcome. You have a truthful post, with media supported articles, not gossip.
What kind of freedom do we have as bloggers, if we have to worry about people who comment on our blogs.
If that's the case, we are handcuffed by HRC's and ambulance chasing lawyers seeking money for hurt feelings.
It makes me sick when responsible bloggers have to fear blogging. Freedom of speech is becoming a lost right, while the freedom to cry offense is growing.
Hello all.
As a campaign volunteer for the Tories I know that the CPC has proof that there were people registered multiple times and at houses that don't exist at all in at least one riding in Vancouver.
In all I think many are honest mistakes (one known CPC supporter was registered twice for example - we lost that riding by a significant amount) but it makes you wonder about the integrity of the system.
Freedom of speech is becoming a lost right, while the freedom to cry offense is growing.
Well said, Hunter.
...but it makes you wonder about the integrity of the system.
Soutern Ontarioan, I am really beginning to wonder about the integrity of our system - especially after the events in Vancouver South.
People who voted in Vancouver in this riding, should be outraged, that one man gets to decide that their votes arn't worth counting. This is absolutely deplorable & insulting the intelligence of Van. voters & the rest of the country.
Every voter deserves to have their vote counted, especially when there is no landslide.
One vote = one vote
Correction-down to one vote, not done to one person.
You & I don't count? (It's not who votes but who counts - em?) Come on- how long will it take to count them all? get help!!!COUNT THEM ALL.
Guess Stalin got it right.."Victory goes to those who count the votes".
Well said Ontario Girl! Elections Canada counts the votes, victory is theirs so far.
258 polls in this riding. A candidate can have 3 scrutineers/poll so that means the CPC needs 774 volunteers at a minimum. That is if each scrutineer spends the whole day and stays to count and verify. For relief one should have about 1000 to help. When you sign in at the poll you are given the rules and regulations as to what you can and can't do. I doubt many read the whole thing as it is lenghthy.
Perhaps this fiasco will spur more people to volunteer to work at the polls. Scrutineers get no pay but think of it as keeping democracy in place, as a duty for the privilege of living in Canada.
I would hope that this information is available from the EC site. Print it out, read it, and get ready for the next election.
As for the time to recount 60,000 votes by hand, remember all those votes were taken out of the ballot box, unfolded, and recorded on election night. I did not know this info was fed into a computer. Garbage in and garbage out. If that is the case there are probably many errors, especially if the computer person has a hearing problem or is not competant on a number pad. This problem of recount has been spread across the country via the blogs.
Without them would we know.
At least we don't have hanging chads to worry about.
Can we use all the comments about Bush stealing Florida and being an unelected president against Ujjal.
This could turn out to be the end of Ujjals career even if he sits in the HofC. He can forget about going for Dion's job.
Wow. I really thought ALL votes were counted. I figured that's why it took so long. This is just wrong. I remember the McLellan thing, but I guess I wasn't paying enough attention.
This certainly isn't democracy's finest moment.
"What kind of freedom do we have as bloggers, if we have to worry about people who comment on our blogs."
Hunter - what happened to make you say this? Have you been threatened?
No, East of Eden, but Joanne took down her post for a little while because she had been advised to be careful. That is what prompted my comment.
Funny how none of my lefty posters are commenting on this issue, the silence is very telling.
I'm not surprised by anything that happens involving Elections Canada - or for that matter polling research firms.
Funny how none of my lefty posters are commenting on this issue, the silence is very telling.
Saskboy is not impressed.
Thanks, Hunter. I rarely go to the Halton Dude Ranch any more because the vitriol which is spewed by his supporters is just too much to tolerate.
Holding a blogger responsible for comments is ridiculous. If I had a public blog, I would delete any offensive comments not for reasons of legal responsibility but for decency.
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