Robocalls Scandal: Elections Canada Paid Former RCMP Investigator $95,523

The Ottawa Citizen informs us that, by August, Elections Canada had spent $239,353 investigating the robocalls election scandal. One individual, John Dickson, a former RCMP investigator, bagged a sizable  chunk of the cake: $95,523. For what, you ask? Not much.

Canadians registered more 1,394 robocalls complaints in 234 ridings across the country with Elections Canada, the “independent” and “non-partisan” agency we’ve trusted with the responsibility of conducting free and fair federal elections and referendums.

But Dickson visited only ONE riding, Nipissing-Timiskaming, in Northern Ontario. Conservative Jay Aspen won the riding by 26 votes over Liberal incumbent Anthony Rota.

And, oh, the visit was back in April. Since then, “there is no sign Dickson has been actively looking into other robocalls complaints”. Last week, the National Post reported that Elections Canada has so far NOT investigated the scandal beyond Guelph.

According to the CBC News:

So far, the Elections Canada investigation has centered on an individual who gave a false name of “Pierre Poutine” to register a disposable cell phone with a phony address and use it to order the automated calls from an outside company, RackNine. “Poutine” paid for the call service using untraceable prepaid credit cards purchased at two drug stores in Guelph.

In fact, Elections Canada Spokeswoman Diane Benson recently confirmed that the agency has already killed the investigation.

The commissioner of Canada Elections does not confirm nor deny that a complaint has been received or that an investigation is underway,” she said.  “In the case of the robocalls, there was a general confirmation from the office that an investigation was underway. But we have never confirmed a location or a particular riding. That has been the consistent response.

That’s accountability in Stephen Harper’s Canada. And, so much for this Elections Canada’s slogan: “Vote. Shape your world.”

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