A caller raising money for the Conservative Party cast doubt on the validity of the recount process in the recent federal election, according to a recording obtained by CBC News.
In the fundraising call, which happened on Saturday, an official identifying herself as being from the Conservative Party’s supporter services claimed that Liberals and media seek to “attack” Conservatives and “scrutinize” the results of two judicial recounts won by Conservatives.
Later in the call, she suggested to a potential donor that the results of the recounts were not final.
“We need to stand up. We need to make sure all the votes are accurate and counted,” she said.
The caller appeared to be referencing two tight races that were ultimately won by Conservatives — the Newfoundland riding of Terra Nova-The Peninsulas and the Ontario riding Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore.
She made the call a week after the judicial recounts finished, and after both Liberal candidates had conceded their losses.
The call was recorded by the recipient, who previously supported the Conservative Party of Canada. CBC News is not identifying the donor, who fears reprisal for speaking out.
He said he shared the audio from the call because he felt frustrated and insulted that the party cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.
Fundraising strategy
It’s not the first time the Conservatives have sought to fundraise by suggesting Liberals are trying to affect the outcome of elections after the ballots were cast.
Shortly after the election, the party sent an email to its mailing list suggesting that their rivals sought to “flip just enough seats to edge closer to a majority” and were trying to “tip the scales” in the recounts.
“It is part of a very common but unsavoury technique to get people to donate,” said Chris Tenove, assistant director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at University of British Columbia.
“You both ring an emergency bell and say urgent funding is needed to address it. And that can put people into a state of mind where they’re perhaps more likely to give money … big picture, I think this strategy of political advertising is corrosive.”
Conservative spokeswoman Sarah Fischer said in a statement that the party did not question the results, but “wanted to ensure the recounts were accurate and fair.”
Under Canadian law, recounts are automatically triggered when the difference in the number of votes received by the top-finishing candidates is 0.1 per cent or less of the total number of votes cast. Recounts are overseen by Elections Canada, an independent agency.
There are costs for parties and candidates during recounts, and legitimate reasons for parties to help scrutinize results. However, the recounts were already over at the time of the call, with winners confirmed.
“It made me wonder, was this an effective fundraising approach that was used in recent weeks? And this individual just isn’t ready to let it go?” said Tenove.
“A few weeks ago, it made sense that you did need scrutineers and maybe legal representatives right there to advance the Conservatives’ position and the process. It’s not at all clear why that would be necessary now.”
A recent Leger poll found that 25 per cent of Conservative supporters said they don’t trust the election results. The public’s trust in election results has become a flashpoint in political discourse following the 2021 “stop the steal” movement in the United States, based on the debunked conspiracy that former president Joe Biden’s win was rigged.
A call that backfired
CBC News has verified the veracity of the audio. The phone number associated with the call directs to a voicemail message identifying it as the voter outreach and funding office for the Conservative Party of Canada.
The caller is first heard saying hello, and thanking the supporter for past donations. Then the topic turns to the recounts.
“We won the two major election recounts all across the country, but the media liberals are trying to attack us and scrutinize the result. So now we have political operators on the ground,” she said before asking for a $1,750 donation to the “Recount the Fight” fund.
The supporter questioned what the party official was saying, noting that the recounts were completed and the Conservatives won them.
“I didn’t really like your message. The recounts are already over. And I don’t believe in a media conspiracy, so you’re not selling me today,” he said.
The party official doubled down.
“Right now, the Liberal media is attacking us. They’re trying to scrutinize our results here. So we need to stand up, we need to make sure all the votes are accurate and counted.”
“I don’t believe that message, I’m sorry,” said the former donor.
Then the party official hung up and the line went dead.
Fischer said the party is looking into the caller’s conduct, as they expect respectful and proper phone etiquette from all callers.
