retiredprof.com
  • Home
  • Videos

Electoral Fraud.......Canada 2011 "Robogate"

2/27/2012

1 Comment

 
     Elections are the life-blood of a democratic system. It is the oxygen that makes it possible. Shut off or in any way limit that oxygen and democracy is faced with death. It may be as Churchill once note "messy" but it is the best we have and even when he was faced with defeat immediately after the end of WW11 (in which he led his nation so inspirationally), he did not resort to subotage/ or subterfuge to prevent this and so strenghtened British democracy. Britain will forever be indebted to him and rewarded him soon after , by making him Prime Minister again in 1951.
     Contrast that with the last election in Canada in 2011. The Ref/Cons. had a minority government and desperately wanted a majority and so would seem to resort to under-handed means to get that majority. Thye were ahead in all the polls and the three opposing parties were in dis-array, but that was not enough and they decided to leave nothing to chance. They decided to use "robo-calls" to dis-inform voters about polling stations; they decided to mislead other voters by pretending to be from their ethnic community ( using Pakistani accent or Jewish names, for example); made harassing calls at super time, late at night, early in the morning, on the Sabbath. 
     They targeted ridings with close races ( the Liberals claim that 27 ridings , 14 in southern Ontario were targeted; the NDP claim that 34 were targeted and the number is growing )According to Stephen Maher of Post Media News and Glen MacGregor of the Ottawa Citizen, 18 "closely fought ridings were targeted with fraudulent automated calls". The Liberals also said 14 ridings received calls from live people.
     When you consider that the Ref/Cons. won by a majority of 11 ( 166 seats), the legitimacy of that majority is questionable. This raises some interesting but crucial questions. How many ridings were targeted? Who was responsible ( planned, organised and financed it)? And who knew, what, when and how?
     Voter suppression is an attack on democracy. Cheating and breaking the law to win an election is criminal. Harassing and misleading voters, in order to deny them the right to vote is anti-thetical to our democratic values . Using fraud to win an election make it illegitimate. What took place was  the systematic denial of voters rights to a free and fair election and is dangerous to our democracy and those quilty of these deleterious actions must be found and made to pay.  
      Our democracy is under attack. The legitimacy of the government is questionable. Public faith has been shaken again (just recovering from  "Gomery"). The Liberals had to pay a high price for their "sponsorship scandal". The party was dismantled by the Gomery Inquiry. Harper saw this and would be hesitant to have an independent commission investigate this "Robogate", but this is the only way to ensure  a fair and open investigation and it must be done now. No dilly-dallying, no trying to ride it out. No convenient "fall guys", or "over zealous " miscreants, working by themselves. This goes too far and too widespread to be the work of "the lone wolf". It was too well planned, organised and financed.  
     
1 Comment
Ian M.
2/28/2012 11:52:23 am

They'll attempt to paint this (once they are forced to admit to it) as tantamount to Vikileaks...which is unfortunate....as it's a far more serious offense....

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Follow me on Twitter

    Picture
    fig 2-b My Father and Mother to whom I owe everything

    "Ecce Homo"  ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem.

    fig 1-b


    figure 1-a

    F. Goya
    Two men fighting with clubs
    circa 1819-1823

    The Black Paintings Period


    (Fig 2a) The Death of Innocents


    Author

     Ishwar R. Prashad recently retired from over 47 years of teaching.

    He taught Political Science variously at Dawson College, Loyola College, Algoma University College, Sir George Williams University, Concordia University and Vanier College.

    Previously, he taught for nine years in Port Mourant, Guyana.


    He became Principal of Corentyne Comprehensive High School at the tender age of 21. During this time he turned down Scholarship offers to study overseas in England and the U.S.S.R.

    He chose Canada and after graduating from Sir George Williams with a B.A Honours with Distinction, he accepted a Fellowship to complete his graduate work at McMaster University. He completed his first two degrees-Bachelors and Masters- in three years.  

    His last position was as Co-Ordinator of Political Science and Economics at Vanier College and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Concordia University.

    He is married to the former Juliet Ramcharan (Library Supervisor, McGill University) and together they have three children – Indra R. Prashad, P.Eng. ,McGill (Presently Manager, Ontario Safe Water Drinking Agency), Ishwar R. Prashad Jr., B.A ,McGill (Presently, President, Kismit Gear Inc.) and Rabindra Y. Prashad, (Presently, Artist and Chef).They are the proud Grandparents of eight grandchildren-Miranda, Kamal, Ayesha, Élan, Anĵa , Étienne, Chloé, and Jasmine.

     

     

     





     



    Archives

    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    November 1999

    Categories

    All
    A
    Estryed Infrastructure
    F
    Hai
    Ic
    I Will Srike With
    Jr
    O
    Q
    T

Powered by
✕