Please note this memo was not sent to me in confidence or accidentally by the party heiracrchy. It came to me from several people disturbed by this most recent example of how political parties can treat staff. Doubtlessly the same sort of thing is taking place in the offices of Liberal caucus members in support of Liberal leadership candidates.
This is not cool, Doug. Conservative MPs should not be telling their Parliament Hill staffers to campaign for a Tory by-election candidate. These folks are paid by the taxpayers and work in taxpayer-provided offices which are there to serve all voters, not just the blue ones. “Persuasion calling” made on goverment phones, on government long-distance plans, on government time?
Definitely not cool.
Â
:        Doug Finley, National Campaign Manager         October 30, 2006 By-Elections London North-Centre and Repentigny   As you are aware the by-Elections for London North-Centre and Repentigny were called on October 22, 2006, to fill the seats that had been vacated by the retirement announcement of the Hon. Joe Fontana and the unfortunate death of Benoit Sauvageau.   Although the London North-Centre seat is a Liberal stronghold and the Repentigny seat is a Bloc Quebecois stronghold; it is important that we make a strong showing in both of these ridings. We are asking for your support to ensure that this is possible!   What can you do to help? First, show your support for our candidates by sending letters of endorsement to josephdow@conservative.ca.  Second, encourage your Hill staff to participate in persuasion calling, which will be coordinated by the Party’s Political Operations team. Third, if your constituency office(s) are located in the vicinity of either riding, please encourage your staff to volunteer; this will be great training for the next general election. If you can encourage others in the area to volunteer, please do so as well. Lastly, we need you to encourage your EDAs, who are capable of sparing money, to contribute funds to the campaigns, which will be coordinated through Joseph Dow.     If you can help in any manner, please contact Joseph Dow by email at josephdow@consevative.ca or by telephone at 613-755-2026.   Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation in this matter.   Yours sincerely,   Doug Finley, National Campaign Manager  Â
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62 comments ↓
Doug Finley to the woodshed, Doug Findley to the woodshed- stat!
(Pst Diane, he’ll be home late tomorrow)
Garth, I urge you NOT, NEVER, to remove this post. Every EDA in the country needs to see this!
Mr. Harper, don’t forget to be ‘accountable’ to us taxpayers (“and it will provide real protection for whistle-blowers who show great courage in coming forward to do what is right.”)
Does EDA mean Extra Dumb Ass? Whats that sound? I think it just hit the fan Doug.
heheheehheeh!!!! I love it.
LOL. Obviously Mr. Turner has a few friends left in caucus. Will Darth Harper send his stormtroopers in to scan every computer of every member in the land? Will McKay unleash the ‘dogs’ of war? Stay tuned.
The Conservatives should be ashamed of using taxpayer’s money for campaigning. Mainstream media — you *have* to pick up this story.
Interesting. See link.
http://www.caledoniawakeupcall.com/federal/dougfinley.html
Hey Garth!
Didn’t Harper and co. promise the voters integrity,openess and accountability?? What’s going on with the CPC Party?? Obviously we were fed
empty promises and election rhetoric!!
http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=41
Prime Minister of Canada’s Accountability Message
“No aspect of responsible government is more fundamental than having the trust of citizens. Canadians’ faith in the institutions and practices of government has been eroded. This new government trusts in the Canadian people, and its goal is that Canadians will once again trust in their government. It is time for accountability.”
“The trust of citizens must be earned every day. The Government will work to earn that trust.”
Don’t see where it states persuasion is on government phones and long-distance, on government time.
[...] And the race already has its first scandal. Conservative MPs should not be telling their Parliament Hill staffers to campaign for a Tory by-election candidate. These folks are paid by the taxpayers and work in taxpayer-provided offices which are there to serve all voters, not just the blue ones. “Persuasion calling†made on goverment phones, on government long-distance plans, on government time? [...]
Mainstream media — you *have* to pick up this story.
I just emailed it to the London Free Press.
Garth, and you commmenters, I just worked in the recent Parkdale/High Park
bi-election. I worked with a woman on the campaign trail who also worked at Queens’s park. If you’re talking about using Company or Government time to do campaigning I’d say you’re right. But on
a person’s own time, he/she has the right to support any Candidate they want. What’s so bad about this?
1) Where did you get this? It is obvioysly meant for communication withinthe party.
2) Why would you make it public? You are defending yourself from charfes of breaking confidentiality by publishing clearly confidential memos? Not right.
3)Why are you publishing Joseph Dow’s phone #
4) What are you trying to accomplish with this post other than keeping your name in the news?
Garth, to be fair, I think that you’re making an extraordinary leap in judgment here. Finley writes,
“encourage your Hill staff to participate in persuasion calling, which will be coordinated by the Party’s Political Operations team.”
You extrapolate this to mean that: “These folks are paid by the taxpayers and work in taxpayer-provided offices which are there to serve all voters, not just the blue ones. “Persuasion calling†made on goverment phones, on government long-distance plans, on government time?”
However, one doesn’t explicitly read your interpretation from Finley’s email. Nowhere does Finley encourage any of this to be done with taxpayer resources. You infer that these hill staffers aren’t volunteering their own time, outside of office hours to work on the campaign.
If they are using government offices to campaign for the party, that’s bad. However, I think that I’m being fair in saying that I think that you’re assuming the worst without having any hard facts to suggest that anything fishy is going on.
Most hill staffers are partisan and free to be party loyalists when they punch out after work. These staffers are most likely volunteering their time outside of their day jobs.
I think it was Lyndon Johnson who said its better to have your enemies inside the tent pissin’ out than outside pissin’ in.
I think Dougie lost the plot.
Also as Lyndon would put it, Findley has never had your pecker in his pocket.
And Caledonia continues to suffer. And now Halton riding , the entire riding is suffering. This is not democracy it is autocratic … seems to me the Finley’s have too much say and too much power…
Isn’t this sort of thing THE reason we demanded the liberals leave and give hope for the future with a new government?
Again, Seems to me somebody with some sass better look into this before the party implodes. And we need this party as I know that the majority are great folks just like Garth. Stephen. Peter, Rona, Monte, Jason and many others.
Just WHO is Doug Finley when he is home anyhow?
We KNOW what Diane Finley CANNOT do, but what can she do, other than completely ignore the poor citizens of Caledonia?
Hi Garth, Is Doug Finleys email dougfinley@coservative.ca? I would like to email him and express my displeasure of his using taxpayer resources for a Conservative campaign. Regards
Okay, I’m out of touch, here. What is an EDA?
OK – before everyone goes off the deep end like little lemmings…
“Second, encourage your Hill staff to participate in persuasion calling, which will be coordinated by the Party’s Political Operations team. ”
I don’t read any direct instructions to use government phones or emails or resources while on parliamentary business. Do you?
And,
“Third, if your constituency office(s) are located in the vicinity of either riding, please encourage your staff to volunteer; this will be great training for the next general election. ” Again, I don’t read any direct instructions to use constituents’ offices for election activities. I do believe “volunteer” means their own time. I didn’t think that in Canada, we prevent people from exercising their democratic rights in their private times.
Well then, let’s examine the current Liberal MP caucus. Please note that since their leadership campaign started in early spring, that at least 25-30 MPs are never in the house for votes or debates! Sometimes there are more MIAs – including our ex-PM, Paul Martin. We, the taxpayers, pay their salaries at the very least 146,000$ a year. Why?
OttawaBill and OttawaCon,
Who sent you? (just curious)
“it will ensure that positions of public trust cannot be used as stepping stones to private lobbying”
Harpers own web-page on accountability.
I’d say the Conservative Caucus are in positions of public trust, no? Should they be lobbying their staffers, to do things on behalf of Finley? I think not! If a caucus member reads Finley’s e-mail at work and actions it, by sending notes to his/her staffers while on the clock…
EDA= Electoral District Association.
They are the folks who represent the riding members of a party, raise the funds to put a candidate forth on behalf of a party, and attempt not to be subjugated to the will of the likes of Finley, to upset the apple cart.
A few famous line sum up Mr. Harper and the CPC…
Plus ca Change, plus c’est la meme chose. (The more things change the more they stay the same!)…
It’s easy for an opposition party to critise the government on accountability, openness and arrogance, but Mr. Harper and co. have fallen into the same trap. His latest arrogance was directed towards Mr. Layton regarding green house gas and pollution. Yes Mr. Harper, both are important, but 2050 as a timeline isn’t a plan at all…the technology is available, spend some money on the environment, start now and maybe 2020 is a more realistic timeline to reduce CO2 and pollution to the levels in your so called plan.
And if my earing is correct, Mr. McKay is correct in saying he did not call anyone a dog. What he is alleged to have said is, “You’ve already got her!” So technically he did not call anyone a dog…but he certainly explicitly implied it!! Guilty as charged!
Seems like Mr. Finley considers the EDA’s and the taxpayers at large as “The Doggy-Doo of Grass-Roots Democracy”!
Garth, this is a solid proof on why you deserved to be expelled from the Party.
If I, whose mother tongue is not English, can read the memeo and realise that in no way is the use of taxpayers’ money for capaining in the by-election is being urged, you’re either unable to actually read English (which I highly doubt) or are intetionally distorting the truth.
Then you need some more lessons. An employer who encourages an employee to do something they were not hired to do – an employee who is paid by taxpayer funds, not party funds – is exercising coercion. These people are public servants by virtue of where their paycheques are coming from. They work in offices provided by the people of Canada, and the resources they consume are not provided by citizens to assist electing a candidate in a remote riding. You may think this is OK. I do not. The people paying for this deserve to know. — Garth
I used to live in the riding, my extended family still lives in the riding, so from time to time I read the blog.
No one sent me, I am completely and totally autonomous, how about you?
Garth, the key word is ‘encourage’. Constuency office staff is generally people that support the party and would normally work for the party. I see nothing wrong with encouraging them to engage in a by-election by volunteering. In our work place, we all ‘volunteer’ on things that are not part of our ‘job description’.
If I remember it correctly, you did use your staff to fight the nomination challange in the Halton riding, didn’t you?
Phone calling takes place at the party’s privately owned phone bank.
Hill staff participation would take place on their own time. There’s no rule against public servants volunteering their time for a political cause, is there?
I think you may have jumped the shark here.
Employers should not be asking their employees to participate in partisan politics, which is not the job of the Canadian government staff. To do so is, as Garth points out, coercion. Some of you Conservative commenters flaming Garth, simply astound me.
“But on a person’s own time, he/she has the right to support any Candidate they want. What’s so bad about this?”
True, but for who that “person” chooses,to volunteer for, not who the CPC wants them to volunteer for. I would not appreciate someone trying to coerce me into volunteering my time or phoning on behalf of this party or that party.
Oh and I know that the word coerce is perhaps a little strong here but that is what Finely is trying to do and if you can’t see that then, well I just don’t know, ( shaking my head )
this entire issue represents the really ugly side of party politics.
The Fiberals used redirected sponsorship money to steal tax dollars and give it to the Liberal party of Canada, so those in power have excercised that power and indiscretion in the past to try to maintain power and get relected.
This case is interesting because the memo notes there is very little chance of the CPC party winning either riding.
Garth is correct, its NOT cool and its not right! (the coercion part)
My question is when does this sort of thing become a criminal act and/or break the law?
(or is the real problem the fact the laws are really grey and misty around this sort of “impropriety”?)
wondering…
Keep the good news coming, Garth. Anything that discomfits the powers that be, whether Con or Lib, is good news indeed for those of us who would like a little less hypocrisy and dirty pool in our politics.
As I’ve said before, you are doing real things for democracy in this country. Please keep it up.
“I just emailed it to the London Free Press.
By Robert McClelland”
I don’t suppose anyone would care to send their views to
bvongdou@hilltimes.com at
The Hill Times? It seems the journalist made reference to Mr. Finley in yesterday’s Hill Times and invites comments.
Just a thought?
My employer encourages me to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. In no way do they expect me to do so on company time. If you have specific evidence people are using government time for partisan activities then reveal it.
Since you’re on the subject why don’t you discuss the time spent by government employees working on government time for various Liberal leadership candidates as revealed in the National Post on June 8th.
Â
Absolutely my point! The practice is wrong, whatever the party doing the asking. BTW, how, exactly, is a Hill staffer going to help elect a candidate in London on their spare time in Ottawa? This is what suggests government phones and taxpayer-paid time will be involved, just as it is with the Liberal leadership campaign. — Garth
“BTW, how, exactly, is a Hill staffer going to help elect a candidate in London on their spare time in Ottawa?”
Making phone calls (on personal or CPC funded phone lines), helping print or distribute campaign literature (maybe on weekends), etc. etc. There are about a thousand ways to help a campaign without being there in person. Again, if you have a specific allegation you should make it rather than trying to infer something that is not implicitly stated.
 And you live on what planet? — Garth
Again, if you have a specific allegation you should make it rather than trying to infer something that is not implicitly stated.
Typical CON hiss and screech. You people ran the entire last campaign on innuendo and speculation. Now you don’t like getting the same back in your faces?
Too bad…so sad.
Thank you Garth for standing up for election fairness and raising the issue of parliamentary staff working in the by-elections. As you know I am running in London North Centre and certainly don’t need Conservative Hill staffers helping out their candidate in London. I hope to be elected fair and square by voters who want to send a message about issues that matter to them — the climate crisis, air quality, economic sustainability and investments in Green jobs.
Keep up the good work as an Independent.
Elizabeth
While we are in the vein of talking about emails that were sent out, I have learned that Mr Turner is not the kindest person to work for.
Apparently, in fact he is having so much trouble finding people to work for him, he sent every office an email soliciting staffers to work for him.
I guess maybe you should have thought about the consequences of your actions (IE manning your own phones and doing your own data entry) before you burnt every political bridge.
P.S. Yes, he is even soliciting the NDP staffers to work for him.
Well, I can sure tell you that the events of the last couple of weeks have been not only a trial for me, and my spouse, but also my staff. Can’t blame anybody who wants to be out of the line of fire! However, my current assistant, Amal Kadar, apparently made her decision to move on before the current firestorm, and I respect it. She’s been a great asset and has helped me immeasurably in these times. As for a new associate, I couldn’t care less what political stripe they wear, since I’m looking for the best person to help me be the best possible MP. Interested in a challenging career?Got combat training? Try this: garth@garth.ca.
Civil servants told to campaign for Conservatives…
Yes, that’s right! The party which campaigned on high and mighty principles, among them to not use taxpayers’ money for party gain (Adscam money was used to pay Liberal party people, remember), is calling on civil servants to campaign on ou…
Keep up the Good work Garth !!!!
Hey Garth if you ever need a volunteer with desktop publishing, graphic design and limited web skillz let me know and I’ll be happy to sign up to do your signage.
If Parliament had nothing but MPs with your sense of ethics Canada would be an even greater country than it is already.
Thanks for blowing the whistle on this Garth.
It’s nice to know that the money they saved from cutting literacy programs will go to con staffers on gov’t time cold calling London constituents. That’s accountability the theo-con way. It’s alot like transparency the theo-con way. That is, the opposite of the intended goal.
[...] Stephen Taylor, Tory Lord of the Blogging Tories, seems to think it’s just fine for the Conservative machine to motivate civil servants on our time and dime to work for the conservative partisan cause. From Garth Turner’s blog: Garth, to be fair, I think that you’re making an extraordinary leap in judgment here. Finley writes, [...]
Hey Elizabeth May!
How wonderful for you to speak up on the blog. Welcome this little space of unfettered free speech.
Best wishes for a fair campaign. I truly hope your Green supporters can rally behind you, especially getting the word out regarding this issue.
I hope Doug Finlay’s silly memo, calling for publicly paid office staff to take part in these partisan political campaigns blows up in his face. Doesn’t he know that this is an abuse of the system? Ignorance (if I’m generous and call it that) is no excuse. Oh, and by the way, I am completely non-partisan when it comes to politics.
Well – it appears that Garth and his now supporters want to prevent any government employee from exercising his/her democratic right in volunteering for his/her party in his/her private life. Nice
Garth, if you have clear and undeniable evidence that the hill staff are using government resources or doing campaign on government time, please provide them or you should retract your allegations.
Or, I guess vengeance is now the new mantra for Garth.
BTW: Elizabeth May – please take Garth in your fold. We’re all dying to find out your campaign strategies.
Hey Catherine – no allegations here, Read Mr. Finley’s words for yourself. MPs are encouraged to have their Ottawa civil servant employees engage in partisan politics elsewhere in the country. How many of you were born under that cabbage leaf? — Garth
Volunteering for his/her party in his/her private life… at the office.
Guess you forgot to add that bit.
If you can’t see what’s very wrong with this than you’re either touched or a partisan hack who doesn’t care about rules and ethics unless it’s the other guys doing the breaking.
Can anyone imagine the massive freak-out if the Liberals had been caught so red handed at such chicanery last election?
Hmm then again there was so much that it may have gotten lost.
John.
Finley is an arrogant SOB, check him out on google yourself. It could be that he is imploding (inadvertently or otherwise)the party, and positioning people, so that he can go after Harpers job for the next inning. Just hypothesising here, but it’s possible? He’s pulled a number of shifty stunts. Failing that, Harper made the call himself to oust Garth, but it was a bad call whoever is behind it. Jay Hill, Ian Brody? Someone clearly orchestrated this crap and continues to behave in a rather shady manner as can be seen by this memo and a whole lot more that will come out. This wasn’t what we voted for, nor what anyone wants to see happen. No one is coming out clean in this little fiasco, except Garth. Garth didn’t represent any threat whatsoever to the party, the principles, the government or the leadership. He’s just a damn good, honest and outspoken MP. He calls it like he sees it and lo and behold he was dead on target with the environmental file. Period. The bottom line is an implosion, and you’d be missing a key element if anyone in here thinks Garth’s individual style of being outspoken was freaking out the party, the Ont caucus, or anyone else. It was used as a tool in something bigger. That key element in my mind is the machinations of power politics. Strategists that get in over their heads and can’t think like everyday down to earth voters that just want whats best for the country as a whole. Pitch us the plain truth and we’ll buy it. But hey, folks, Garth wasn’t lying or intentionally undermining anyone was he. Truth stinks, so does this memo. Harper won because he said plain and simple that he needed to build trust with us, trust the liberals had lost. And so he should have with Garth and his constituents. Instead we get plowed over like inconsequential nuisances. It’s never too late Harper. What? like you think Garth is going away? Or ‘us’ for that matter! Think the party machine can roll over the whole country no matter how many staffers make phone calls? Not likely. This is the age of electronic information and transparency in gov’t (hey, didn’t Rona do her MA on that very subject?)
Wake up Canada, we aren’t swallowing the crap with the clean air ‘act’, nor are we swallowing bad politics.
Jack Layton, since you seem to have the man’s ear for a moment, tell him accountability and transparency and real action on the environment file is something we as voters value and aren’t going to let up on. Not while Garth Turner is on the planet.
Catherine is clearly being a twit here Garth. I think it’s fairly obvious to most people. Don’t waste your time on her responses.
(maybe you can put Salvage to work after all, lol)
(Good to have you back Salv- did you ever take Garth out for that celebratory beer way back in Jan.?)
Please excuse Catherine Garth .
She cannot stand any criticism of ‘Dear Leader’ nor his minions .
And how is this different from Adscam ?
OK genuises – exactly which sentence of Finley’s letter told any government employee to campaign or assist in any way on government paid time or use any government resources?
Garth’s allegations are serious, so it’s important to highlight the sentence(s) of Finley’s letter.
You may choose not to answer my question and attack me instead – that’s your perogative. However, you will then expose yourself for who you really are.
Let us not forget how the verb is properly conjugated:
I provide a press release.
You leak.
He violates Official Secrets.
Aside to Catherine: Defending the indefensible is a sign of serious brain damage. Finley (the Karl Rove of the PMO, the consigliere to Harper’s Godfather)seems to believe that the Civil Service belongs to the party — not the people. You both seem to be sucking from the same balloon.
Voltaire: “…but I defend to the death your right to say it.”
OCTJMO – ICBW – oxygen…need oxygen
Sorry Garth I have to agree with Catherine on this one, I have no political ties before the rest of the posters jump down my throat. I have read this memo at least six times and I see this as no different then the military encouraging us to get involved in community activities and charities. They don’t expect us to do it during duty hours or using their resources. If this was sent from a gov email account or something maybe you would have something but I don’t see it. Call me naive but if I am missing something please point it out.
Yes, you are naive. — Garth
Yes Catherine, Finley’s memo is serious.
VERY serious.
“Second, encourage your Hill staff to participate in persuasion calling, which will be coordinated by the Party’s Political Operations team.”
SEMANTICS people SEMANTICS.
When an employer “encourages” a tardy employee to purchase an alarm clock, the implied request is not to be ignored. I think Catherine understands this.
Unless the employer is Finley, in which case Catherine would argue that no direct order was given and the employee has the option to comply, provided the purchase isn’t made on company time.
Catherine, the experienced Finleys of this world carefully avoid making direct statements that could come back and haunt them.
Wow Garth, Expect a more reasoned comment from you.
Irate, you can read anything you want into this. But, making accusations is serious. You may choose to blindly believe everything that Garth writes or you may choose to question his allegations. I prefer to question his motives behind his allegations, given his circumstances.
And, I have to ask you, why is it that the Liberal media is not picking up on this and running with it? Not even the Toronto Star?
Note: I sent this little brouhaha to a senior political columnist at the Toronto Star and his reaction was he could find nothing untoward in the email .
I did not provide a context nor tell him where the email came from to be fair and honest .
Sorry Garth .I support you 100% .
Jackie Chans.. apendages.
One senior Star columnist?- perhaps the guy was too busy with more pressing issues to see or care about what is there. It may not make it to m.s. media at the moment, but that doesn’t mean much.
I guess I am not the only one that is naive there Garth, The reason he couldn’t is because it isn’t there.
Today is Nov 2nd, the deadline by which Doug Finley CPC Nat’l Campaign Manager has been requested to get back to the Halton EDA on a number of questions. Will he communicate to conservatives in Halton and answer 10 simple questions or won’t he? Let’s get on with it Doug. Halton wants to know. Halton needs to know and until you can provide answers to the Membership Board of Directors responsible for raising money locally from its membership, please have your people ’suspend’ calling local conservatives which only serves to ‘Piss them off’ even more. Try to remember who Halton supports Doug. Try to remember his name is Garth Turner. And try to do what is right for a change.
tic…tic…tic…tock.
The clock is ticking Doug Finley and Ian Brodie, and Jay Hill and Joseph Dow…
Less than 12 hours till midnight?
Think fellas, think REAL hard.
MCGUINTY LIBERALS CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Premier’s Office and Ministry staff use taxpayer-funded offices for Liberal leadership
(Queen’s Park) – Progressive Conservative Party Leader John Tory today called for Dalton McGuinty to explain why members of his staff and ministers’ staffs are using Ontario taxpayer-funded offices for the federal Liberal leadership campaign.
“This is a serious issue – it strikes at the heart of trust in government and respect for the taxpayers money,” said Tory. “This is just like the taxpayer financed propaganda campaigns the McGuinty Liberals have on the airwaves right now.”
The Liberal Party of Canada published a list of returning officers for their delegate selection on their website (which was taken down shortly after Tory raised it during Question Period). Several McGuinty Liberal staff are listed with their government email addresses and phone numbers. In the Legislature today, Tory pointed to several staff members on the list:
Aaron
Garth is purposely misrepresenting things here and he knows it. That is quite evident in his rude comments attached to anyone who criticizes his claim.
He knows the Party has a calling room in the Political Operations offices. He knows that is where staffers can go volunteer to doing phoning.
He knows staffers volunteering on their own time is legit and he is purposely misrepresenting facts as part of his petty revenge campaign against the Party that insulted him by declaring him useless.
He knows staffers are not civil servants.
It’s a good thing that this is a minority so we’ll of rid of such an egotistic spoiled child.
Paul’s right George. You’re wrong and staffers most certainly are civil servants. Where do you think their paycheck comes from – the party!? Uh, no, it comes from from tax dollars. Give your head a shake man.