New Democratic Party MP Pat Martin is accusing Conservative MPs of dirty tricks, saying they are using their free mailing privileges to flood his riding of Winnipeg Centre with partisan letters to his constituents.
“They are absolutely carpet bombing my riding with them, they’re just blanketing my riding with these things,” Martin said in an interview with iPolitics. “Dirty, rotten bastards.”
Martin said the practice violates the spending rules for MPs and he plans to raise the issue directly with House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer.
“It’s a bloody travesty. It’s bad enough they have got those economic action plan (signs) all over the place as free partisan promotion. But an MP is not supposed to use their mailing privileges to mail into somebody else’s riding – ever. That was banned a long time ago.”
Martin also believes that the letters, which began arriving a few days ago, are part of a bigger problem.
“This is a pattern of abuse. I honestly believe the Conservatives are either institutionally sociopathic and they don’t know the difference between right and wrong or they are deliberately cheating – whether it is fraudulent robocalls or cheating on their election financing and now cheating by abusing MP’s mailing privileges. It’s a pattern of deceit that is inexcusable and it makes me fucking furious, frankly.”
Martin’s comments came after residents of his riding informed him that they had received letters extolling the economic performance of the Conservative government and sharply criticizing both the Liberals and the NDP. The letters are “franked” bearing the names of individual MPs but no stamp or postal meter mark.
The letter says 922,000 jobs have been created since 2009, touts the most recent budget and lists some of the populist tax cuts Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has made such over the years such as reducing the GST from 7 to 5 per cent, the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, the Children’s Arts Tax Credit and the Tax Free Savings Account.
“Yet, while our Government is focused on what’s important to Canadians, the Liberals have absolutely no economic plan,” the letter reads. “The NDP, meanwhile, keep pushing dangerous high-tax schemes like their $21 billion job-killing carbon tax that would raise the price of electricity, gas and groceries.”
The letter is signed by 10 Conservative MPs from Manitoba including Manitoba caucus chairman Robert Sopuck (Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette), Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (Provencher), Minister of State for Transport Steven Fletcher (Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley) Candice Bergen (Portage-Lisgar), James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake) Rod Bruinooge (Winnipeg South), Shelly Glover (Saint Boniface), Joy Smith (Kildonan-St. Paul), Lawrence Toet (Elmwood-Transcona) and Merv Tweed (Brandon-Souris).
The mailing also asks recipients to fill out a three-question survey. The first question asks which asks which party “is on the right track to ensure Canada’s economy continues to grow and create jobs for hard-working Canadians.”
The second questions asks recipients to rate their support for three measures: “Keeping taxes low and controlling spending,” “Growing Canada’s economy through Economic Action Plan 2013” and “Opposing a job killing carbon tax.”
The third question asks recipients whether they describe themselves as a student, parent, working Canadian, senior or veteran.”
The survey also asks for the recipient’s name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. The questionnaire, which says no postage is required, is to be mailed back to Robert Sopuck, care of the CRG Conservative Caucus Services – the Conservative party’s research group.
Martin charges the Conservatives are soliciting information from his constituents that will be put in its party database known as CIMS.
“This is electioneering. This is developing databases in anticipation of an election, using an MP’s mailing privileges. It is a complete travesty.”
This is not the first time that questions have been raised over whether an MP has used their House of Commons office resources for more partisan purposes. In recent years, the House of Commons sharply curtailed the rules surrounding mailings known as “10 percenters” after Conservative MPs began using them to send partisan tracts into the ridings of opponents. Other parties soon began to follow suit and parliamentary printing costs skyrocketed.
Currently, the Members Manual of Allowances and Services says that franking privileges are only provided to MPs in their roles as MPs and “does not apply to House Officers and the Research Offices.”
“These franking privileges assist communication between constituents and their elected representative and allow Members to send mail postage-free anywhere in Canada,” says the guide.
Martin said the rules allow an MP to send mail for free to their own constituents or to respond to a letter from a constituent in another riding but not to send mass mailings into another MP’s riding.
“That was stopped. That was being abused so badly, by all the parties frankly, that the speaker put an end to it.”
Martin said he believes the letters are also being mailed into Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux’s riding of Winnipeg North and NDP MP Niki Ashton’s riding of Churchill. Ashton said she has not yet seen any sign of the letters and Lamoureux could not be reached for comment.
Sopuck was unavailable. An official from his office, who declined to give their name, said the mailings were within the House of Commons rules and were intended to inform Canadians.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics.ca
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
“They are absolutely carpet bombing my riding with them, they’re just blanketing my riding with these things,” Martin said in an interview with iPolitics. “Dirty, rotten bastards.”
Martin said the practice violates the spending rules for MPs and he plans to raise the issue directly with House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer.
“It’s a bloody travesty. It’s bad enough they have got those economic action plan (signs) all over the place as free partisan promotion. But an MP is not supposed to use their mailing privileges to mail into somebody else’s riding – ever. That was banned a long time ago.”
Martin also believes that the letters, which began arriving a few days ago, are part of a bigger problem.
“This is a pattern of abuse. I honestly believe the Conservatives are either institutionally sociopathic and they don’t know the difference between right and wrong or they are deliberately cheating – whether it is fraudulent robocalls or cheating on their election financing and now cheating by abusing MP’s mailing privileges. It’s a pattern of deceit that is inexcusable and it makes me fucking furious, frankly.”
Martin’s comments came after residents of his riding informed him that they had received letters extolling the economic performance of the Conservative government and sharply criticizing both the Liberals and the NDP. The letters are “franked” bearing the names of individual MPs but no stamp or postal meter mark.
The letter says 922,000 jobs have been created since 2009, touts the most recent budget and lists some of the populist tax cuts Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has made such over the years such as reducing the GST from 7 to 5 per cent, the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, the Children’s Arts Tax Credit and the Tax Free Savings Account.
“Yet, while our Government is focused on what’s important to Canadians, the Liberals have absolutely no economic plan,” the letter reads. “The NDP, meanwhile, keep pushing dangerous high-tax schemes like their $21 billion job-killing carbon tax that would raise the price of electricity, gas and groceries.”
The letter is signed by 10 Conservative MPs from Manitoba including Manitoba caucus chairman Robert Sopuck (Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette), Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (Provencher), Minister of State for Transport Steven Fletcher (Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley) Candice Bergen (Portage-Lisgar), James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake) Rod Bruinooge (Winnipeg South), Shelly Glover (Saint Boniface), Joy Smith (Kildonan-St. Paul), Lawrence Toet (Elmwood-Transcona) and Merv Tweed (Brandon-Souris).
The mailing also asks recipients to fill out a three-question survey. The first question asks which asks which party “is on the right track to ensure Canada’s economy continues to grow and create jobs for hard-working Canadians.”
The second questions asks recipients to rate their support for three measures: “Keeping taxes low and controlling spending,” “Growing Canada’s economy through Economic Action Plan 2013” and “Opposing a job killing carbon tax.”
The third question asks recipients whether they describe themselves as a student, parent, working Canadian, senior or veteran.”
The survey also asks for the recipient’s name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. The questionnaire, which says no postage is required, is to be mailed back to Robert Sopuck, care of the CRG Conservative Caucus Services – the Conservative party’s research group.
Martin charges the Conservatives are soliciting information from his constituents that will be put in its party database known as CIMS.
“This is electioneering. This is developing databases in anticipation of an election, using an MP’s mailing privileges. It is a complete travesty.”
This is not the first time that questions have been raised over whether an MP has used their House of Commons office resources for more partisan purposes. In recent years, the House of Commons sharply curtailed the rules surrounding mailings known as “10 percenters” after Conservative MPs began using them to send partisan tracts into the ridings of opponents. Other parties soon began to follow suit and parliamentary printing costs skyrocketed.
Currently, the Members Manual of Allowances and Services says that franking privileges are only provided to MPs in their roles as MPs and “does not apply to House Officers and the Research Offices.”
“These franking privileges assist communication between constituents and their elected representative and allow Members to send mail postage-free anywhere in Canada,” says the guide.
Martin said the rules allow an MP to send mail for free to their own constituents or to respond to a letter from a constituent in another riding but not to send mass mailings into another MP’s riding.
“That was stopped. That was being abused so badly, by all the parties frankly, that the speaker put an end to it.”
Martin said he believes the letters are also being mailed into Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux’s riding of Winnipeg North and NDP MP Niki Ashton’s riding of Churchill. Ashton said she has not yet seen any sign of the letters and Lamoureux could not be reached for comment.
Sopuck was unavailable. An official from his office, who declined to give their name, said the mailings were within the House of Commons rules and were intended to inform Canadians.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics.ca
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
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