The President of the House is set to rule on the 'dirty tricks' of the Tories against Montreal Liberal MP. Postmedia News, December 9, 2011 - 07:01 ET Vincenzo D’Alto / Postmedia News Files. Liberal Irwin Cotler spoke to the media after the 2011 election results were closed.
Comments Email Twitter By Mark Kennedy Ottawa - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives will likely learn next week if they violated the parliamentary privileges of Liberal MP Irwin Cotler by spreading false reports in his Montreal riding about his resignation decision. The ruling from House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer comes amid growing complaints that the Conservatives engaged in a campaign of "dirty tricks" to destabilize Cotler, possibly forcing a byelection and paving the way for a Conservative candidate who nearly won the coveted Mount Royal in the recent general election.
The Tories hired a polling firm with links to senior Conservative MPs to conduct a survey in Cotler’s riding—asking people during a phone blitz last month whether they would vote in an upcoming election.
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Mount Royal voters who received the calls, and who sought clarification, were categorically told that Cotler was either stepping down or that his resignation was imminent—a tactic Cotler says caused public confusion and made it difficult for him to perform his duties.
The veteran MP, a former Justice Minister, was elected in May to a four-year term that does not end until the next general elections in October 2015. He says he is not going anywhere and no MP should be subjected to such "false and misleading" electoral tactics that interfere with their work.
"People can still discuss politics and people can still trade in votes, however unpleasant that may be," Cotler said in the Commons. "But the line is crossed when false, deceptive, and prejudicial information is presented as if it were fact."
The Conservatives tell a different story. They say the polling firm was hired to "identify" potential supporters for the next election and that those who received the calls were simply told, if asked, that there had been talk of a potential cabinet byelection.
Senior ministers and Conservative MPs went to the House of Commons to justify this tactic to Scheer, saying that the actions of the Conservative party in this case have nothing to do with parliamentary activity. Furthermore, Peter Van Loan, the Government House Leader, warned that if Scheer rules against the Conservatives, it would strike a blow against free speech—a defense that opposition MPs ridiculed.
At the forefront of presenting the Tories' defense is rookie New Brunswick MP John Williamson, who previously served as Harper's communications director at the Prime Minister's Office. "Those calls were within the limits of typical political discourse," Williamson said in the Commons. "In no way did the Conservative party say he had or would leave, but only that there was a possibility."
"I, for example, would admit that political parties cannot say whatever they want and there must be some element of truth. Nothing here has crossed the line, and even if the calls were perhaps harsh, they were still acceptable in the day-to-day world of political maneuvering."
Meanwhile, the office of Minister James Moore reportedly hired Saulie Zajdel, Tory Cotler's opponent in the last election. Cotler complained that Zajdel is now acting as a "shadow MP" by going into Montreal communities and offering help to city councillors seeking federal grants and services.
On Friday, Moore's spokesperson, Sebastien Gariepy, said the minister's office would not answer questions on the matter. "We do not comment on internal personnel issues," he said in an email to Scheer.
If there was a case made before Cotler's privileges were abused, the MP would likely then ask for a committee to investigate in the Commons. But that would require a vote in the House, and it is uncertain if the Tories—with their majority—would block a probe.
The first Tory polling came on November 10, when assistants in Cotler's Montreal office began receiving the first calls from many constituents who had been contacted by the firm. It was soon learned, through caller ID functions on constituent phones, that the invitations had come from a company called Research Campaign. Among the senior members of the firm are Nick Kouvalis, who conducted polling for Rob Ford in his successful bid for Toronto mayor in 2010, and Richard Ciano.
Ciano was Vice-President of the Federal Conservative Party from 2005-2008 and served as campaign manager for prominent politicians, including Van Loan. He was also the pollster and senior strategist for Ford's mayoral bid. Ciano is now running to become President of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party and has received endorsements from notable politicians, including Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who describes him as a "diligent political organizer with a track record of success."
Research Campaign, founded by Ciano in 2003, states on its website that its pollsters can help parties employ "voter identification" as an essential element of a successful electoral campaign. "Knowing who your supporters are, where they live, and what their hot button issues are can give you a significant advantage over the competition," the company says. "Having identified hundreds of thousands of voters over the years, our voter ID methodology is second to none and has been instrumental in delivering both close wins and landslides."
Postmedia News Posted in: Canada, News Tags: Canadian politics, Irwin Cotler, James Moore, Mount Royal, Peter Van Loan, Politics, Stephen Harper Postmedia News Related Topics Articles: High-profile lawyer accused of drugging Iran student takes financial hit as Herman Cain buyers deny 13-year history with donor.