@ www.theotherpress.ca News Robocall scandal Conservatives attempt to counterattack accusations By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer s more reports of false elec- tion day calls surface from electoral ridings across Canada, many in the Liberal Party are accusing the incumbent gov- ernment of electoral fraud. The “robocall scandal” has taken centre stage, there has yet to be any hard evidence of what individual is be- hind the calls besides those traced to a cell phone registered under the likely pseudonym, “Pierre Poutine.” Elections Canada has of- ficially stated that it is investigating the calls, but due to the fact that the Conservatives stood to gain the most from the calls, the fingers of the opposition have been pointed squarely in the direction of Conser- vative Party leadership. “We are entering into a kind of Nixonian moment in our politi- cal culture, where all kinds of dirty tricks seem to be possible, all kinds of dirty tricks seem to be encour- aged,” said Liberal interim leader Bob Rae. The Liberal Party has said that it has had voters from at least 29 ridings contact the party about the misleading phone calls. Prime Min- ister Stephen Harper has continued to deny any Conservative involve- ment in the scandal, saying, “In this case, our party has no knowledge of these calls. It’s not part of our campaign.” In an ill-timed move, Michael Sona, an aide to Tory MP Eve Ad- ams, stepped down from his posi- tion claiming it “impossible” to do his job “with the media continually repeating these rumours.” After coming out on February 29 with the statement, “The hon- ourable leader of the NDP should provide her party’s information to Elections Canada. Otherwise, I think we just conclude this is sim- ply a smear campaign without any basis at all,” Harper and his Con- servatives would head out on the offensive the following day. On Thursday of last week, Harper’s parliamentary secretary, Dean Del Mastro, said that, “We learned that [former Liberal MP] Joe Volpe paid over $25,000 to Prime Contact, a calling company with offices in North Dakota.” The fact that this company has offices in North Dakota makes Del Mastro’s words relevant because there have been reports of voters in Volpe’s Toronto riding receiving calls from North Dakota’s 701 area code. Del Mastro went on to say, “T see that they used this company quite a bit. It seems that they were robodialing quite a number of peo- ple on behalf of the Liberal party.” Del Mastro would be quickly corrected though when NDP MP Charlie Angus came forward with the statement, “Mr. Speaker, they are going to need to get some bet- ter researchers, because there is a firm in North Dakota with the same name but it actually does not work for the Liberal party.” However, also during question period, Harper would say “We've done some checking. We've only found that, in fact, it was the Liberal party that did source its phone calls from the United States. I wonder if the reason the honourable leader of the Liberal party will not in fact show us his evidence is it will point in fact that it was the Liberal party that made these calls.” While Prime Contact turned out to be a false accusation on Del Mastro’s part, First Contact (“the leading Canadian supplier of call centre services to Liberal candidates and office-holders in Canada,” as stated by their website), is not so clean. In a statement over the tele- phone, First Contact President Mike O'Neill wouldn’t say whether his company had calls that could be traced back across the border. id fe 7 Ay Ey F International Women’s Day at Douglas This year marks 101** Women’s Day By Dylan Hackett, News Editor his year, International Wom- [Tes Day will occur on Thurs- day, March 8 with a variety of events around the college, country, and the world. The holiday, which was first celebrated in 1911, is an annual celebration marking the suc- cess of suffragettes and recognizing women’s equality. To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Douglas College Women’s Centre is selling lightly- used shoes at both campuses: on March 6 in the atrium of the David Lam campus and on March 8 in the New Westminster concourse. Shoes will sell starting at $2 a pair. The proceeds raised will go towards bursaries for women, and shoes left over will be donated to a women’s shelter. The Douglas College Wom- en’s Centre is open for all female students and offers a judgement- free zone as well as free personal items. Women’s Day has been a long- standing national holiday in some countries around the world includ- ing China, Russia, Vietnam, and across the world. Other notable International Women’s Day events include the Vancouver Women in Film Festival at the Vancity Theatre in Down- “Women’s Day has been a longstanding national holiday in some countries around the world including China, Russia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria—but the holiday is just starting to gain traction in poorer countries and countries not especially proactive on women’s issues.’ Bulgaria—but the holiday is just starting to gain traction in poorer countries and countries not espe- cially proactive on women’s issues. International Women’s Day is also a recognized holiday in Afghani- stan, Cambodia, Uganda and in Madagascar—where only women are entitled to the day off. Since 2001, the day has seen a resurgence of events in a lot of western and English-speaking countries that do not recognize the day nationally, with over 1,250 events being held town Vancouver from March 8 to 11. The event showcases the talent of women in the film industry and features Canadian and internation- al directors and filmmakers. Young Women in Business SFU is also holding an International Women’s Day conference on March 10 downtown at the SFU Wood- wards building. The event will host keynote speakers, panel sessions, and a trade show. ATTENTION STUDENTS: arch 11 is the last day for you to drop a course or completely withdraw from the college—though note that you will receive a “W” on your permanent record!