Saint John voter raises robocall complaint

CBC has now heard from four New Brunswickers, two from the Saint John riding, who claim to have received either live calls or recorded messages directing them to the wrong polling stations.

Charles Cochrane of Saint John said that he received an automated call from Elections Canada prior to the 2011 federal election informing him his polling station had changed.

Cochrane said he’s always voted at the Loch Lomand Community Centre so he was confused when he received a call two days before the 2011 federal election.

He said he received a recorded phone call saying it was from Elections Canada. He was told his polling station had changed.

"So I went in [to the community centre] and I said, 'I can't vote here because I got a phone call saying my polling station wasn't here anymore and all that.' So I said that to them at the door and, [an official said] 'No, you're in the right place,' and so I went in and voted," he said.

Cochrane’s complaint comes as the federal Conservatives are facing a controversy over misleading calls to voters.

More than 45 ridings across the country have received reports of false or misleading phone calls.

The controversy's epicentre is in Guelph, Ont., where Elections Canada is investigating allegations someone from the Conservative campaign deliberately tried to suppress votes by impersonating the election agency in robocalls directing people to the wrong voting location.

It's illegal to prevent a person from voting and to induce somebody to vote or not vote for a particular candidate.

Cochrane’s complaint was the first reported case in a New Brunswick riding.

Saint John was considered a hotly contested riding in the 2011 election.

Conservative MP Rodney Weston won the riding by fewer than 500 votes in 2008 but he won re-election by roughly 7,000 votes.

Jason Stephen, Weston’s campaign manager, said the party played by the rules during the federal election.

"We all believe in the democratic process and you know I never had any complaints," he said.

But former New Democratic Party candidate Rob Moir said he wants to know how many other people received calls similar to Cochrane.

"Were there hundreds here, was this just one incident? We'll just have to wait and see," he said.

Moir said the misleading calls undermine the democratic process.  

At the national level, Doug Finley, who advised the Conservatives on the 2011 election and sits as a Conservative senator, said the case of the strange calls has been blown out of proportion.

N.B. campaigns hired company used by many Conservatives

Meanwhile, Elections Canada's investigation into the robocalls is moving to a call centre company used by many Conservative Party campaigns, including some in New Brunswick.

Jason Stephen said that the Rodney Weston campaign paid Responsive Marketing Group $15,000 to have call centre workers call homes in the riding to identify potential supporters, and to encourage people to vote. But he said there are no indications of dirty tricks in the riding.

RMG also operates a call center in Miramichi.

Tilly O'Neill Gordon of Miramichi, and Conservative Mike Allen campaign of Tobique-Mactaquac, also used the company's services.

MPs want answers

Allen admits the allegations of recent weeks don't reflect well on anyone in political life.

The MP said he doesn't believe his party was behind the robocalls.

But whoever was behind the misleading phone calls, Allen said, must be held accountable.

"If that's found out and it's verified, people should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he said.

Two opposition MPs believe an investigation into the issue needs to be held.

Beausejour Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc said it seems like the calls were from an orchestrated campaign.

"This thing smells pretty bad, it's way too widespread, too complicated and too expensive to pull off," he said.

Acadie-Bathurst NDP MP Yvon Godin also said he believes it is necessary to find out who orchestrated these calls.

"I can assure you right now we're not dreaming this, and it's our responsibility to bring it to the public," he said.