2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal information
2011 Canadian federal election scandal
A woman protesting the robocall scandal on Parliament Hill
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The 2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal (also known as the Robocall scandal, Robogate, or RoboCon) is a political scandal stemming from events during the 2011 Canadian federal election.[1][2][3][4][5][6] It involved robocalls and real-person calls that originated in the Conservative Party of Canada's campaign office in Guelph, Ontario. The calls were designed to result in voter suppression. Elections Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) conducted investigations into the claims that calls were made to dissuade voters from casting ballots by falsely telling them that the location of their polling stations had changed.[7] Further possible electoral law violations were alleged as the evidence unfolded. Under the Canada Elections Act, it is an offence to willfully prevent, or endeavour to prevent, an elector from voting in an election.[8][9]
On Election Day, May 2, 2011, reports of voter suppression, mostly centred on the riding of Guelph, led to the discovery that a computer in the Guelph campaign office had possibly been used to make the calls.[10] While the Elections Canada investigation initially focused on calls sent into Guelph amidst nationwide complaints, the investigation expanded to complaints in other Conservative Party of Canada campaign offices across the country. Court documents filed in mid-August 2012 by the Commissioner of Canada Elections indicated that the elections watchdog had received complaints of fraudulent or misleading calls in 247 of Canada's 308 ridings, recorded in all ten provinces and at least one territory.[11][12][13][14] The allegations received widespread national media attention, and led to a series of protests in March and April 2012 in at least 27 Canadian cities. April 29, 2012, was termed by protest organizers a "National Day Against Election Fraud".[15]
On April 24, 2014, Commissioner of Canada Elections Yves Cote issued a press release that stated, "the Commissioner has concluded that, following a thorough investigation by his Office, the evidence is not sufficient to provide reasonable grounds to believe that an offence was committed. Therefore, the Commissioner will not refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions".[16] However in August, 2014, former junior Conservative staffer Michael Sona was found guilty of one violation of the Elections Act.
^"Opinion: 'RoboGate', voter fraud in Canada". Ourwindsor.ca. February 29, 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
^"Angry Canadians Demand Inquiry into 'Robogate'". Allvoices.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
^Duffy, John (March 19, 2012). "How do we govern our technology?". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
^"robocon - Topics". Macleans.ca. March 2, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
^"Chris Selley: Vikileaks and robocon highlight Ottawa's snowglobe of spite | Full Comment | National Post". Fullcomment.nationalpost.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
^Coyne, Andrew (March 2, 2012). "Coyne: Robocon is a scandal with no clear pattern". Canada.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
^Maher, Stephen; McGregor, Glen (February 27, 2012). "Elections Canada investigating 'robocalls' that misled voters". Postmedia News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
^"Canada Elections Act 281(g)". Department of Justice Canada. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
^"Canada Elections Act 491(3)(d)". Department of Justice Canada. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
^"Robocalls linked to Guelph Tory campaign worker's computer - Politics - CBC News". Cbc.ca. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
^"Court records say robocall complaints doubled to 1,394 'specific occurrences' in last year's election". National Post. August 21, 2012. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
^"Elections watchdog set to answer questions on robocall controversy". Globaltoronto.com. Retrieved March 29, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^Leblanc, Daniel (March 29, 2012). "Robo-call complaints received from about 200 ridings: Elections Canada". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved March 29, 2012.[dead link]
^Fitzpatrick, Meagan (March 29, 2012). "Elections Canada probing call complaints in 200 ridings". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
^Adams, Kate (March 15, 2012). "Thousands to rally against 'Robocall' election fraud". Bay Today. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
^"Commissioner of Canada Elections Issues Report on Deceptive Communications Investigation". Elections Canada. April 24, 2014. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
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