Robocalls May Be Tip of the Iceberg

Duff Conacher says the robocall scandal that has erupted could be only one among many undisclosed Elections Canada complaints. (File photo/Epoch Times)

While the robocalls situations in which voters were misled during the 2011 election are obviously very serious and must be fully investigated, it is equally serious that no one knows whether Elections Canada has been fairly and effectively enforcing the federal elections law in the past decade.

Democracy Watch analyzed Elections Canada’s reports after the 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011 federal elections, and found that Elections Canada has not reported the results of investigations, or its rulings, on more than 2,280 complaints filed during those elections.

Also, since 2004 Elections Canada has not disclosed any information about the number of complaints received in between elections, or how and when they were investigated and ruled on.

So, very likely the robocall situation is the tip of the iceberg and there are many, many other situations that raise serious questions about whether federal elections in Canada have been conducted fairly since 2004.

Elections Canada must be required by Parliament to disclose details about how it has handled every single complaint it has received since 2004.

Duff Conacher
Board member
Democracy Watch