Steve Maher and Glen McGregor, the two Ottawa reporters who broke the Robocall scandal, have a long story in yesterday's Ottawa Citizen that warrants a close read. The story leads with an account of Liberal robocalls in the Guelph riding on the eve of the May 2, 2011, federal election—calls that expressed dismay at CPC candidate Marty Burke's opposition to abortion "in all circumstances." In a glaring escalation of false equivalence, Maher and McGregor say "revelations" about the automated calls "are giving the Conservatives a new line of defence against allegations of vote suppression and further muddying the events leading up to...

13 March, 2012

In a fit of foolishness, Elections Canada has decreed that returns from today's Cumberland Colchester Musquodoboit Valley byelection cannot be disseminated until after the polls close—in British Columbia. In a general election, this silly provision serves to assuage the patronizing concern that voters in western time zones might either (pick one): be annoyed that the winning party had been decided before they cast their vote; or be shrewd enough to use the results in eastern Canada to guide their strategic voting decisions. Heaven forefend. On a day with four byelections scattered across our vast country, it serves no purpose whatever, save perhaps to bolster...

09 November, 2009