David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 47 others
Methinks many would agree that the best part of this Circus is that it proves the saying I used against Barry Winters of Edmonton (Google him sometime) I repeat "Evil is Evil Even Unto Itself" N'esy Pas?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/03/left-with-fines-charges-and-shame.html
#nbpoli #cdnpoli
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-election-commissioner-findings-hardyal-mann-irregular-political-contributions-voter-fraud-1.5066753
'Left with fines, charges and shame': Calgary political insider alleges voter fraud in UCP leadership campaign
1673 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Naomi Forbes
Has there ever been an honest politician?
David R. Amos
Reply to @Naomi Forbes: "Has there ever been an honest politician?"
R.B. Bennett and Confucius come to my mind immediately
Dennis Brady
Are Albertans really such gullible fools they're willing to vote for Conservative slime?
David R. Amos
Reply to @Dennis Brady: Methinks the folks are far from gullible fools but many have been much offended by the NDP N'esy Pas?
Cy Coulterman
Why is it so difficult for the Conservatives to try to have a single election without cheating?
David R. Amos
Reply to @Cy Coulterman: "Why is it so difficult for the Conservatives to try to have a single election without cheating?"
Methinks many would agree that they can't helps themselves its in their political party's DNA The best part of this Circus is that it proves the saying I used against Barry Winters of Edmonton (Google him sometime) and that evil dude was dedicated supporter of Jason Kenney et al
I repeat "Evil is Evil Even Unto Itself" N'esy Pas?
Ken Stephens
Reply to @Cy Coulterman:
It is what their playbook dictates. Their supporters don't care, why should they? goes the reasoning.
David R. Amos
Reply to @Ken Stephens: "It is what their playbook dictates."
True
Jennifer McIsaac
And the federal Conservatives call the Liberals unethical?
How come Scheer is not criticising the UCP and Kenney?
Presumably it is OK if you are in the same ideological group but not if you are Liberal.
David R. Amos
Reply to @Jennifer McIsaac: "How come Scheer is not criticising the UCP and Kenney?"
Relax its all just part of the Circus
James Holden
Conservatives will do anything to get their hands on power.
David R. Amos
Reply to @James Holden: "Conservatives will do anything to get their hands on power."
Methinks the liberals cannot deny that I have proven many times that all the other political parties are no better After all Trudeau did support Harper's Bill C-51 N'esy Pas?
Drew Farrell
Four more years for the NDP!
David R. Amos
Reply to @Drew Farrell: "Four more years for the NDP!"
Methinks if the Conservatives keep shooting themselves in the foot while it is in their mouths you may get your wish N'esy Pas?
Barry Martini
Doesn't everyone already know Kenney is a sleazeball?
David R. Amos
Reply to @Barry Martini: Methinks the problem is that they know it but don't care when apathy rules the day N'esy Pas?
Dawn MacNeill
It would be shocking to see Albertans put this new shady/questionable party at the helm and watch the province go backwards. They were smart enough to send the other bunch packing so it would be sad to see them hand it back to them. Good Luck Albertan.s
David R. Amos
Reply to @Dawn MacNeill: "Good Luck Albertans"
I will second that remark
Timmy Paleo
Didn't expect better of the UCP
David R. Amos
Reply to @Timmy Paleo Wai: Nor I
Dustin Carey
Another Conservative, another election scandal.
David R. Amos
Reply to @Dustin Carey: "Another Conservative, another election scandal"
YUP.
Molly Earl
Does anyone actually believe after returning to Alberta and destroying not one but two political parties, Kenney wouldn’t do whatever it took to get the brass ring. The last thing he would want was Brian Jean winning the leadership. If it meant using subordinates in a nefarious fashion, so be it. If this was the effort to get to this point, actual governing will be downright awful.
David R. Amos
Reply to @Molly Earl: Well Put I Wholeheartedly Agree
Al Freeman
Whether it's freezing minimum wage, legislating against unions, attacking pensions, undermining public education and healthcare or rigging nominations, Conservatism is all about tilting the playing field. Jason Kenney has given us just one more example of what makes these people tick.
David R. Amos
Reply to @Al Freeman: "Jason Kenney has given us just one more example of what makes these people tick."
YUP
'Left with fines, charges and shame': Calgary political insider alleges voter fraud in UCP leadership campaign
Controversy erupts in midst of election campaign with Jason Kenney’s UCP leading in recent polls
Alberta's election commissioner has
ruled that Hardyal Mann made irregular political contributions, and the
Calgary political operative alleges the existence of a plan to commit
voter fraud in order to secure the election of Jason Kenney as United
Conservative Party leader — a controversy that's erupting in the midst
of a provincial election.
Hardyal (Happy) Mann does not dispute the commissioner's finding in relation to irregular donations. But he says in a March 24 formal response to the commissioner obtained by CBC News that he "trusted Mr. Jason Kenney, his campaign team, and their judgment" and that he never thought they would "risk breaking any laws."
"Mr. Kenney and his associates, who were equal participants, will assume high elected seats in our government," he wrote.
"However, those of us who did the work for them are left with fines, charges and shame. That is not fair."
The controversy is erupting in the midst of a provincial election, with Albertans set to vote on April 16, and Kenney's UCP leading by a wide margin in recent polls.
A
cache of leaked documents obtained by CBC News show Jason Kenney’s
campaign for UCP leadership collaborated with the campaign of his
supposed political opponent, Jeff Callaway, left, to discredit Brian
Jean. (Jason Kenney campaign)
A
letter obtained by CBC News that was sent to Mann outlining the
findings of commissioner Lorne Gibson's investigation says Mann — a
power broker in Calgary's Indo-Canadian community — admitted to being at
a breakfast meeting with Kenney in June 2017 in the lead-up to the
United Conservative Party's leadership vote.
The letter says the future party leader promised support for Mann's "own political goals" if Mann joined the Kenney team.
It was an offer he accepted.
The document says Mann told the commissioner that both "the finances for Jeff Callaway's campaign and voter fraud were identified as tactics that would be employed."
The election commissioner found Mann contributed a total of $9,000 to the Callaway campaign that was not his own, agreeing to attach names to contribution forms that had pre-filled amounts of $3,000 for himself and two others.
Alberta election rules prevent someone from donating money that is not their own.
The commissioner said Mann admitted the funds were not his and that none of the money had moved through his accounts, "reluctantly" providing bank statements and documentation as proof.
"These transactions were handled only by the select group of people who originally organized the kamikaze campaign and were responsible for handling the financing," he wrote.
The investigation by the commissioner relates to the financing of Callaway's so-called kamikaze UCP leadership campaign. It's alleged Callaway ran for the purpose of targeting Kenney's top rival, former Wildrose leader Brian Jean, with a plan to step down before the vote in October 2017 and throw his support behind Kenney.
Kenney has strenuously denied any involvement in the alleged plot, saying it's normal for leadership campaigns to be in contact. He has said he first heard of Callaway dropping out of the race the night before it happened.
Prab Gill resigned from the United Conservative Party caucus and now sits as an independent MLA. (CBC)
Documents
obtained by CBC News show there was deep co-operation between the two
campaigns, with high-ranking Kenney officials providing resources, including strategic political direction, media and debate talking points, speeches, videos and attack advertisements.
Alberta's deputy chief electoral officer, Drew Westwater, said he is not allowed to comment on specific cases. But he confirmed to CBC News that, under provincial election law, videos and advertisements "would be considered a valued contribution" and must be disclosed.
Among the Kenney officials revealed in those documents obtained by CBC News was Matt Wolf, Kenney's current deputy chief of staff. Cam Davies, who was the communications manager for Callaway was involved in the email chains, and Shuvaloy Majumdar, who works for former prime minister Stephen Harper's consulting firm, was also copied on one.
Also in those documents was an email in August 2017 that showed Callaway already planned to drop out of the race, something he denies.
On March 18, Maclean's reported on a $60,000 payment from a corporate entity into the bank account of Davies. Davies alleges in that story that the money was then distributed to the campaign through other donors.
CBC has not independently verified Maclean's allegations.
An email obtained by CBC News shows the RCMP have been called in to investigate the allegations of irregular political contributions to the Callaway campaign.
RCMP media relations spokesperson Fraser Logan has said the police policy is not to confirm an investigation is being conducted unless charges are laid.
Central to Mann's allegations of voter fraud is the question of why or whether fake emails were attached to membership forms in the lead-up to the UCP leadership vote on Oct. 28, 2017.
"When I fill the forms in, for a few of the people I know, particularly, that there was no email addresses on those forms and then emails appeared on their membership list," he said in an interview with CBC News on March 25.
"Then who put those emails there?" he continued.
Kenney has faced allegations that his campaign used VPNs — which block the identity of a computer — in order to vote multiple times from the same computer in the leadership race.
CBC News has not independently verified Gill's allegations.
CBC News searched for historical registration data using DomainTools and confirmed that dozens of email addresses attached to UCP members were all purchased by anonymous sources in the lead-up to the UCP leadership vote, between Sept. 20 and Oct. 13, 2017.
Many of those emails, with domains like link3mail.com and jaringmail.com, all link back to the same web host.
It is not known who bought those email addresses.
Former Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean was Kenney’s main competition in the race. (CBC)
Mann
also questions who paid for memberships. Under UCP rules, a membership
must be purchased by the individual or an immediate family member.
The Alberta Election Act does not prohibit parties from paying for memberships, but they are required to disclose the expense. Those individual disclosures are not made public.
CBC News asked the UCP to respond to Mann's allegations.
"The Jason Kenney leadership campaign followed all of the rules of the 2017 UCP Leadership Contest," reads an emailed statement from UCP Executive Director Janice Harrington.
The election commissioner said Mann should have known the consequences of his actions. He was a UCP nomination candidate in Calgary-Falconridge before he was disqualified after it was alleged his team was involved in the assault of a local reporter.
Mann, in his response to the commissioner, again says he trusted Kenney and his team.
"My understanding of the rules governing election financing was limited. I knew what we were doing was tricky, but I never even assumed that these people would risk breaking any laws. After all, they had much more to lose than me."
The election commissioner says he is considering an administrative penalty for the three contributions to the Callaway campaign, which means Mann could be fined up to $30,000.
It would be the latest in a series of fines levelled against UCP members for their roles in the Callaway campaign.
Karen Brown and Darcy McAllister have both been fined for donating money "with funds given or furnished by another person."
Callaway’s
campaign communications manager, Cameron Davies, told CBC News that
both campaigns had decided in advance when Callaway would quit the race. (Supplied by Cameron Davies)
Maja McAllister and David Ruiz were both issued letters of reprimand by the election commissioner for the same offence.
Davies has been fined a total of $15,000 for obstruction of an investigation. He has said he will appeal the fines.
Hardyal (Happy) Mann does not dispute the commissioner's finding in relation to irregular donations. But he says in a March 24 formal response to the commissioner obtained by CBC News that he "trusted Mr. Jason Kenney, his campaign team, and their judgment" and that he never thought they would "risk breaking any laws."
"Mr. Kenney and his associates, who were equal participants, will assume high elected seats in our government," he wrote.
"However, those of us who did the work for them are left with fines, charges and shame. That is not fair."
The controversy is erupting in the midst of a provincial election, with Albertans set to vote on April 16, and Kenney's UCP leading by a wide margin in recent polls.
The letter says the future party leader promised support for Mann's "own political goals" if Mann joined the Kenney team.
It was an offer he accepted.
- VOTE COMPASS | Find out how your views on campaign issues line up with the platforms of Alberta's major parties
The document says Mann told the commissioner that both "the finances for Jeff Callaway's campaign and voter fraud were identified as tactics that would be employed."
Irregular contributions to Callaway campaign
The election commissioner found Mann contributed a total of $9,000 to the Callaway campaign that was not his own, agreeing to attach names to contribution forms that had pre-filled amounts of $3,000 for himself and two others.
Alberta election rules prevent someone from donating money that is not their own.
The commissioner said Mann admitted the funds were not his and that none of the money had moved through his accounts, "reluctantly" providing bank statements and documentation as proof.
- Sign up to get our election newsletterThe Scrutineer delivered directly to your inbox twice weekly
"These transactions were handled only by the select group of people who originally organized the kamikaze campaign and were responsible for handling the financing," he wrote.
The 'kamikaze' campaign
The investigation by the commissioner relates to the financing of Callaway's so-called kamikaze UCP leadership campaign. It's alleged Callaway ran for the purpose of targeting Kenney's top rival, former Wildrose leader Brian Jean, with a plan to step down before the vote in October 2017 and throw his support behind Kenney.
- Alberta election commissioner probes interference in Jeff Callaway campaign investigation
- More fines levied in connection to Callaway UCP leadership campaign
Kenney has strenuously denied any involvement in the alleged plot, saying it's normal for leadership campaigns to be in contact. He has said he first heard of Callaway dropping out of the race the night before it happened.
Alberta's deputy chief electoral officer, Drew Westwater, said he is not allowed to comment on specific cases. But he confirmed to CBC News that, under provincial election law, videos and advertisements "would be considered a valued contribution" and must be disclosed.
Among the Kenney officials revealed in those documents obtained by CBC News was Matt Wolf, Kenney's current deputy chief of staff. Cam Davies, who was the communications manager for Callaway was involved in the email chains, and Shuvaloy Majumdar, who works for former prime minister Stephen Harper's consulting firm, was also copied on one.
Also in those documents was an email in August 2017 that showed Callaway already planned to drop out of the race, something he denies.
On March 18, Maclean's reported on a $60,000 payment from a corporate entity into the bank account of Davies. Davies alleges in that story that the money was then distributed to the campaign through other donors.
CBC has not independently verified Maclean's allegations.
An email obtained by CBC News shows the RCMP have been called in to investigate the allegations of irregular political contributions to the Callaway campaign.
RCMP media relations spokesperson Fraser Logan has said the police policy is not to confirm an investigation is being conducted unless charges are laid.
Allegations of voter fraud
Central to Mann's allegations of voter fraud is the question of why or whether fake emails were attached to membership forms in the lead-up to the UCP leadership vote on Oct. 28, 2017.
"When I fill the forms in, for a few of the people I know, particularly, that there was no email addresses on those forms and then emails appeared on their membership list," he said in an interview with CBC News on March 25.
"Then who put those emails there?" he continued.
- Listen to The Ledge podcast, as CBC's legislative reporters bring you expert analysis and insiders' insight
Kenney has faced allegations that his campaign used VPNs — which block the identity of a computer — in order to vote multiple times from the same computer in the leadership race.
- RCMP take over investigation of United Conservative Party 'irregular financial contribution' allegations
- UCP Leader Jason Kenney shrugs off RCMP investigation of political contributions
CBC News has not independently verified Gill's allegations.
Email domains purchased prior to vote
CBC News searched for historical registration data using DomainTools and confirmed that dozens of email addresses attached to UCP members were all purchased by anonymous sources in the lead-up to the UCP leadership vote, between Sept. 20 and Oct. 13, 2017.
Many of those emails, with domains like link3mail.com and jaringmail.com, all link back to the same web host.
It is not known who bought those email addresses.
The Alberta Election Act does not prohibit parties from paying for memberships, but they are required to disclose the expense. Those individual disclosures are not made public.
UCP responds
CBC News asked the UCP to respond to Mann's allegations.
"The Jason Kenney leadership campaign followed all of the rules of the 2017 UCP Leadership Contest," reads an emailed statement from UCP Executive Director Janice Harrington.
- Alberta Votes 2019: CBC News brings you all the news, analyses and columns you need for the election
'They had much more to lose than me'
The election commissioner said Mann should have known the consequences of his actions. He was a UCP nomination candidate in Calgary-Falconridge before he was disqualified after it was alleged his team was involved in the assault of a local reporter.
Mann, in his response to the commissioner, again says he trusted Kenney and his team.
"My understanding of the rules governing election financing was limited. I knew what we were doing was tricky, but I never even assumed that these people would risk breaking any laws. After all, they had much more to lose than me."
Other fines
The election commissioner says he is considering an administrative penalty for the three contributions to the Callaway campaign, which means Mann could be fined up to $30,000.
It would be the latest in a series of fines levelled against UCP members for their roles in the Callaway campaign.
Karen Brown and Darcy McAllister have both been fined for donating money "with funds given or furnished by another person."
Davies has been fined a total of $15,000 for obstruction of an investigation. He has said he will appeal the fines.
About the Author
With files from Charles Rusnell and Jennie Russell
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