XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, mtl.general   
   XPost: ab.politics   
   From: Panca@nyet.ca   
      
   If Harper hadn't instructed his party to clam up and not cooperate with the   
   widespread Elections Canada investigation, a whole lot more Conservatives would   
   be doing jail time for the last election.   
      
   Make sure you get YOUR	 party's representatives to each and every poll location   
   in the upcoming election . . . . the Cons will need careful watching.   
   Volunteer as a scrutineer . . .  each and every party can have one present at   
   each poll.   
   _____________________________________________________   
   The Canadian Press - Winnipeg Free Press -     November 19, 2014   
      
      
   Michael Sona, convicted in robocalls scandal, gets 9 months in jail   
      
      
   GUELPH, Ont. - Interfering with a citizen's right to vote merits real jail   
   time, an Ontario judge declared Wednesday as he made Michael Sona the first   
   person ever to spend time behind bars for violating the Canada Elections Act.   
      
   Sona, the former Conservative staffer convicted in the 2011 robocalls scandal,   
   was sentenced to nine months behind bars and one year's probation for what   
   Justice Gary Hearn called "an affront to the electoral process."   
      
   He's the first person convicted of wilfully preventing or endeavouring to   
   prevent an elector from voting under the Canada Elections Act, said Hearn, who   
   called his task "a difficult and troublesome sentencing."   
      
   Hearn said he believes Sona did not act alone in the scheme, in which some   
   6,700 automated phone calls were placed on the morning of the 2011 federal   
   election with misleading information on how to vote.   
      
   Sona was just 22 at the time of the offence, lacked proper guidance from more   
   experienced colleagues, and has suffered emotionally in the aftermath, Hearn   
   acknowledged.   
      
   But jail time was nonetheless warranted in order to send the unmistakable   
   message — particularly to those involved in politics — that messing with   
   the   
   electoral process is a serious crime, he said.   
      
   "This was a deliberate and considered course of criminal conduct specifically   
   designed to subvert the inherent fairness of the electoral process," Hearn told   
   the court.   
      
   "This was a federal election undertaken to elect representatives who form the   
   governing body in our nation. This was not an amateurish Grade 8 election   
   campaign for student council. Conduct such as that of Mr. Sona is not suitable   
   at any time."   
      
   Sona hung his head and fiddled with his BlackBerry, his family members beside   
   him in tears, as Hearn delivered his fate.  He was later led out of the   
   courtroom by police.   
      
   Sona's lawyer, Norm Boxall, said his client would be transferred to an   
   unspecified provincial jail.  He said a decision has not yet been made whether   
   to file an appeal.   
      
   "He's obviously disappointed with the decision, but he's strong," Boxall said   
   outside court.   
      
   "He will be considering all of his options in the upcoming days, and those   
   decisions are best made when persons can reflect calmly and logically and not   
   do them in the emotional aftermath of a decision."   
      
   Boxall said Sona would likely consult with another lawyer to determine whether   
   an appeal is appropriate.  He could then seek a release from jail pending his   
   appeal. Should he decide not to appeal, he could be eligible to apply for   
   parole after three months, Boxall said.   
      
   Sona is a youthful, first-time offender, but that couldn't be allowed to   
   overshadow the seriousness of the case, Hearn said.  Given his background, he   
   presumably supported the right of people to a free and fair vote, he continued.   
      
   "He took very active steps to see that this did not happen and the sentence   
   must be such that the serious nature of this conduct is made apparent to those   
   similarly inclined."   
      
   Hearn said he did recognize that Sona had already suffered considerably, noting   
   periods of stress and depression; he also said Sona had taken "rather drastic   
   steps" to deal with those problems "in a very inappropriate manner."   
      
   Boxall refused to elaborate.   
      
   Although the Crown and defence agreed he likely did not act alone, Sona was the   
   only person charged in the scheme.  He had been facing a maximum penalty of   
   five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.   
      
   Boxall had asked for a suspended sentence or a six-to-12-month conditional   
   sentence with house arrest, parole and a requirement for community service.   
      
   Ruth McGuirl of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada applauded Hearn's   
   sentence.   
      
   "The trial judge sent out a message today that the type of conduct which   
   interferes with the fundamental rights of voters warrants jail time," McGuirl   
   said.   
      
   "It is (hoped) that this sentence will send a message which will deter anyone   
   who would like to participate in any kind of similar conduct."   
   _______________________________   
      
   Won't deter the bloody Harper Cons - they're going to resort to just a more   
   insidious and inventive way to steal the next election.   
   Get your SCRUTINEERS ready for the polls in the next election - rumoured to be   
   as soon as February of the new year.  (Harper worried about Duffy court case   
   fallout).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)