XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ont.politics   
   XPost: ab.politics, man.politics, sk.politics   
   From: "@nyet.ca   
      
   Canadian Press | June 23, 2014 |   
      
      
   Ex-Tory MP tried to hide illegal $21,000 payment during 2008 election,   
   Crown alleges as trial kicks off   
      
      
   MP Dean Del Mastro arrives at court in Peterborough, Ontario, on Monday   
   June 23, 2014. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of overspending   
   during the 2008 federal election campaign and failing to report a   
   personal contribution of $21,000 to his own campaign..   
      
   A member of Parliament violated the Canada Elections Act when he tried   
   to hide a $21,000 personal payment to an Ottawa consulting firm during   
   the 2008 election, the Crown alleged Monday as Dean Del Mastro’s trial   
   kicked off.   
      
   A Crown lawyer at the trial told court the case might be considered   
   unusual. Tom Lemon says a large documentary record and several witnesses   
   will be involved in the Del Mastro trial, which got underway in   
   Peterborough, Ont.   
      
   Del Mastro has pleaded not guilty to charges of overspending during the   
   2008 federal election campaign and failing to report a personal   
   contribution to his own campaign.   
      
   He is accused of paying Ottawa-based Holinshed Research $21,000 for   
   consulting work — an amount that would have put him over the maximum   
   $2,100 candidates can contribute to their own campaigns.   
      
   Elections Canada also alleges Del Mastro tried to cover up his   
   overspending by knowingly submitting a falsified document. He denies any   
   wrongdoing.   
      
   Lemon told the court that the first witness he intends to call —   
   Holinshed co-owner Frank Hall — will testify that “the $21,0000 he   
   received from Mr. Del Mastro was payment for voter ID and   
   [get-out-the-vote] calling that was conducted by Holinshed during the   
   campaign.â€�   
      
   Lemon said he expects Hall will testify that the invoices “facilitated   
   the concealment and misreporting of the expenses n the election campaign   
   returnâ€� that the campaign later filed with Election Canada.   
      
   Hall will be on the stand for a lengthy period, Lemon told the court.   
      
   As the prime minister’s parliamentary secretary during the robocalls   
   affair, it was Del Mastro’s job to fend off allegations against the   
   Conservatives of voter fraud in the 2011 campaign.   
      
   But Stephen Harper’s former parliamentary secretary is now sitting as an   
   independent in the House of Commons pending the outcome of the case.   
   Related   
      
   He has been in political limbo since his tearful resignation from the   
   Conservative caucus after being charged in September 2013.   
      
   Richard McCarthy, Del Mastro’s official agent for the 2008 campaign, is   
   being tried at the same time on three charges, including “incurring   
   election expenses in an amount more than the election expenses limit.â€�   
      
   It’s alleged he paid Holinshed using a personal cheque from an account   
   he shares with his wife, but failed to include the amount in his   
   campaign financial report.   
      
   That report listed Holinshed as having been paid $1,575.   
      
   Investigators have also claimed that a false document was filed by the   
   Del Mastro campaign, indicating that $10,000 of the $21,000 paid from   
   the Del Mastro chequing account had been refunded by Holinshed.   
      
   â€œThe Crown’s theory is that the transactions described above amounted to   
   Mr. Del Mastro and Mr. McCarthy incurring a $21,000 election expense   
   from Holinshed,â€� said Lemon.   
      
   â€œMr. Del Mastro paying the expense with his own funds, according to the   
   Crown’s theory, facilitated the concealment and misreporting of the   
   expenses.â€�   
      
   Del Mastro has suggested publicly that Elections Canada has unfairly   
   targeted him, charging that sealed court documents were leaked to the   
   media by the agency.   
      
   And he said he rejected an offer from Elections Canada of a reduced   
   penalty in exchange for a guilty plea.   
      
   If found guilty, Del Mastro and McCarthy could each face fines of $1,000   
   and one year behind bars.       <<=======  [That's all?  No wonder   
   election changes are needed]   
      
   But even though a conviction under the Elections Act would not prevent   
   Del Mastro from running for office again — he has said he intends to run   
   in the next federal election — it would reinforce opposition claims that   
   the Harper Conservatives don’t respect Canada’s election laws.   
      
   The Liberals and New Democrats hammered the Tories after the party was   
   found guilty of violating election spending laws in the 2006 “in and   
   outâ€� scheme and agreed to repay more than $230,000.   
      
   Harper has also publicly defended Del Mastro for his honourable service   
   to his constituents.   
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
      
   That, say the New Democrats, is a clear indication of how the Tories   
   would rather go after their opponents than play by the rules.   
      
   â€œTime and time again Conservatives have broken rules, and when they get   
   caught, they attack the referee — something we saw this spring when they   
   went after Elections Canada,â€� said NDP caucus spokeswoman Greta Levy.   
      
   â€œMr. Del Mastro is someone that the prime minister chose as his   
   parliamentary secretary, someone he continued to defend even after he   
   was accused.â€�   
      
   The Peterborough Conservative riding association has reportedly put the   
   party’s nomination process on hold pending the outcome of the Del Mastro   
   case.   
      
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