Frank Valeriote

[Business of Supply, March 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am curious about the member's opinion. These fraudulent calls on election day were very specifically misdirecting people to different voting polls. In some cases, these voting locations did not exist. It happened in Nipissing—Timiskaming to Peggy Walsh Craig; in Sydney—Victoria to Raymond Young; in Guelph to Danny Boyle, who was sent to the Old Quebec Street Mall. In Kingston Arnold Dodds was sent to St. Joseph's Catholic Church. It happened in Windsor—Tecumseh and Saanich—Gulf Islands.

I am curious about this. Do you think this is the work of one rogue person or multiple rogues out there who never communicated with one another and all came up with that idea on that same day, or do you think there was some centrally organized effort on the part of the culprits?

[41st General Election, March 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Saskatoon—Wanuskewin disclosed that the Conservative Party manages voter lists centrally, meaning perpetrators of this election fraud needed more than local access in order to misdirect voters to the wrong polls in ridings across the country.

We have said all along there is no way a rogue Conservative partisan could have managed such a sophisticated task on his own. This implies some form of central coordination of information and locations.

Will the Conservative Party drop its victimized pretence and give Elections Canada its voter software, which will disclose who, when and how these calls were made right across Canada?

[World Cup Victory, March 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the snow had barely settled from Erin Mielzynski's lightning fast final run this weekend when the Guelph native alpine skier achieved what no Canadian female skier has in 41 years: a World Cup victory.

Fulfilling a childhood dream, Erin finished her final run in a breathtaking 53.59 seconds, becoming the first Canadian woman at the top of the World Cup podium since Betsy Clifford in 1971.

Her breakthrough performance in Germany this week is an inspiration to hundreds of young men and women who take to ski hills across Canada with dreams of victory at the Olympics and other international competitions.

Erin has been representing Canada at international competitions since her debut as a member of Canada's alpine ski team at the 2009 World Cup and as a member of the Canadian Olympic team at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

On behalf of the residents of Guelph and all Canadians, I congratulate Erin for her dedication, hard work and superb talent that are responsible not only for her World Cup victory but also her place in the hearts of Canadians.

[41st General Election, March 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in Guelph it was the Quebec Street Mall. In Kingston voters were misdirected to St. Joseph's Church. In Saanich—Gulf Islands it was St. John's United Church. In Sydney, Cape Breton a voter was misdirected to New Waterford, 30 kilometres away. Even the member for Windsor—Tecumseh was misdirected to St. Anne's Church.

This could not have been one lone Conservative rogue in Guelph. This required collaboration and resources across Canada. This is a pattern of voter fraud that simply cannot be denied.

Will the Conservatives now provide their phone logs and scripts?

[Petitions, March 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to submit a petition signed by a significant number of Canadians, most of whom reside in my riding of Guelph.

The petitioners add their voices to the thousands across Canada and 16 municipal governments across the country calling on the House of Commons to urge the government to exclude all sub-federal governments and their public agencies, including municipalities, from any Canada-EU procurement agreement.

Municipalities like Guelph are rightfully concerned that they will lose the right to have independent procurement policies as Canada's government negotiates away the ability to buy local materials and services. These restrictions would cripple the ability of municipalities to stimulate local innovation, foster local community economic development, create local employment and achieve strategic public policy goals.

[41st General Election, March 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Conservative campaign in Guelph had a non-disclosed commercial relationship with RackNine, the company Pierre Poutine used to defraud Canadian voters on election day. We know that fingers were initially pointed at a 23-year-old Conservative partisan involved in the Guelph campaign, and since having been thrown under the bus by the Minister of National Defence, he has come out and urged the guilty party to come forward.

If the Conservatives admit that an electoral fraud took place, and even the Minister of National Defence thinks it had to do with the Conservative Party, why will they not hand over the evidence?

[41st General Election, March 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we know that fraudulent calls were made to over 80 residents of Guelph on election day, each of which I immediately reported to Elections Canada, as well as 37 other ridings, to confuse and suppress the vote.

Elections Canada evidence shows that the Conservative campaign in Guelph had bought and recorded messages from RackNine and did not claim them as an election expense. The staffer who Conservatives offered to Elections Canada as the perpetrator of this national voter suppression campaign has denied executing such a sophisticated and pervasive scheme.

When will the government disclose to Elections Canada who the real culprit is?

[41st General Election, February 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we know this. An individual or individuals in Guelph bought a burner cellphone as “Pierre Poutine”. Elections Canada requested documents, having concluded that the Guelph Conservative campaign had a relationship with RackNine and did not disclose it on its return.

We know some 40 calls were made from Rebecca Rogers and Chris Rugé, Conservative election staff in Ottawa, to RackNine.

Will the Prime Minister confirm Ms. Rogers' employment with the trade minister and tell Elections Canada and the House where Chris Rugé works now?

[Business of Supply, February 28th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, I know my colleague is passionate and believes of what he speaks.

What he has not talked about is clause 34 of the legislation, which really gives unfettered discretion to the minister to appoint an agent who can walk into an ISP establishment, second all of the employees in that establishment, have them open up all the books and records without a warrant and in total and absolute unfettered discretion.

Therefore, I am surprised to hear his remarks that there are protections within the legislation when in fact clause 34 speaks of exactly the opposite circumstances.

[41st General Election, February 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I heard from Guelph residents who were either too confused or too frustrated by voter suppression calls and simply turned around and went home. Just think about what that meant to Etobicoke Centre where the Liberal incumbent lost by only 26 votes, or Nipissing—Timiskaming where the margin was only 18 votes.

I turned in my evidence to Elections Canada. Will the Prime Minister stand in the House today and tell us why he stopped his internal investigation and is in fact now playing “catch me if you can?”