The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Election Fraud, Political Reality "The election was stolen': Harrison" screamed The Reminder headline on Jan. 27 as the defeated Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River MP accused the Liberal campaign of Gary Merasty with fraud and dirty tricks on the native reserves. The youthful and very hardworking MP was leading the race until the last poll came in, giving his opponent a narrow victory. With some polls reported at 100 per cent turnout Ð highly unusual, if not unheard of Ð and rumours of voter intimidation and other election violations, Harrison has demanded an investigation by Elections Canada and even the RCMP. Time will tell,but the political reality is that election fraud and dirty tricks are not uncommon, even in the staid and usually honest Canadian scene. Before the secret ballot, Canadian elections were often wild and wooly affairs. People who had to vote openly were often subject to beatings and other physical and other threats. The secret ballot changed all this, or did it? In other countries, there is more often election fraud, such as in the U.S., where citizens have to register to vote Ð not on the list, no vote Ð which can lead to a lot of interesting happenings, such as discouraging people from registering, a common feature in the old south where a lot of the Black population was even unable to register. In a country like Zimbabwe, those who did not support Robert Mugabe received none of the food supplies in that starving nation. Others were beaten and worse in this non-democratic nation. There were countless examples of, let us say, questionable election practices in the past in our country, and even some in the present. One friend and colleague was a Liberal organizer in the Portage-Neepawa area in the '60s when there were plenty of elections. One colleague, a hardworking Tory, told me that his father, a farmer in the Fredericton area, was a long time Conservative "scrutineer." This was not what we know as an observer at the polls, but one who was to ensure his area voted the right way. When an election was called, a party boss would show up at his dad's farm, fill up his huge gas tank, and leave a few cases of Black Velvet Mickeys The whiskey was to be delivered to voters to remind them how to cast their ballots. A far more blatant example was told to me by a high-ranking Tory in Duff Roblin's office. He had spent some time in Quebec during one of the Union Nationale elections. The UN were masters at winning. He said the first thing they did was pave as many roads as possible in the province, regardless of the season or weather. But the best trick was at the polling stations, where they appointed all of the returning officers and election workers. Outside the polling stations, a UN. worker would stand holding one marked ballot. A voter would pick up the ballot, and return his blank ballot to the worker, for which he received a $5 bill. In the recent campaign, there were some reports of less than savory candidates seeking office. One Liberal tried to bribe the NDP candidate in a B.C. Tory stronghold and was tossed out by Paul Martin. A B.C. Tory in the Okanagan area who should have won was discovered to have smuggled good from the U.S. and was rejected by Stephen Harper. The two convicted shoplifters running for the NDP Ð Svend Robinson and Lorne Nystrom Ð were both rejected by the voters. To their credit, none of the party leaders spent any time trying to help those mentioned get elected. On the local front, what are the political realities of the Communityplex receiving needed federal funding now that the Conservatives are in charge of the money and both areas did not elect a Tory? During the campaign, Manitoba Liberal boss Reg Alcock ran around the province promising money for a lot of projects, including this one, to try and get Liberals elected. These were only promises, not real money, and we know what Liberal promises mean. Alcock and his party and members can realistically deliver nothing, and to rely on two inexperienced Liberal MPs will not be helpful. It is regrettable that Harrison, who has the ear of the Prime Minister, was not re-elected. The political reality is that the new government will not likely listen to the new Liberal members, which The Corner solidly favours. The organizers should pursue it with Harrison and the two senior cabinet ministers from the two provinces to have any hope of getting the needed funds. Let's hope they do and are successful.
