Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

Posted by Greg Layson

Until now, it's only been eye witness accounts that place Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke's director of communications Michael Sona at the University of Guelph on Wednesday, April 13, where and when he allegedly cried foul over a special ballot being held and, again, allegedly, attempted to touch, grab or take a ballot box.

When asked about his whereabouts, Sona first directed all questions to the Conservative party's national media relations desk. He then never did answer specifically whether he was on campus that day.

Conservative Party of Canada spokesperson Ryan Sparrow also thrice ignored the emailed question "Was Michael Sona on campus that day?"

Well, thanks to an emailer, we have our answer as to whether Sona was on campus and at the polling station that day. None of the photos show Sona touching, reaching for or even looking at a ballot box. But the box is there. And, Sona's on a cell, as was asserted by several students who say they witnessed the event.

Have a look:

Comments

[Dr.Dawg]

Time to charge Sona with multiple violations of the Canada Election Act. Start with Sn. 281 (b) and (g), and go from there.

[John Galt]

There is also a petition demanding that he be fired for his actions:

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/firemichaelsona

[Saskboy]

Isn't it illegal to use a camera, and a cell phone while at a polling place?

[Genghis Con]

Well done Mr. Layson!

If you have a scrap of class left, Marty, fire this hack!

[Concerned Guelphite]

Where are all of the supposed partisan materials?

[Jerry Prager]

Thanks gang.

[Galen Fick]

These pictures also corroborate the witness account of Bren Anstett. She was clearly there and in a perfect location to witness events, as she is the one with the red backpack seen in picture 4 and 5.

[D C]

Wow. It's one thing to lodge a complaint to Elections Canada officials that the polling station is problematic.

It's another thing altogether to actually interfere when someone is voting or about to vote.

If it can be established that Sona did indeed interfere, this is a very bad situation for him and for his candidate Marty Burke.

http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/Statutes/E-2.01.html

DIVISION 9
PROHIBITIONS

Prohibitions -- inside or outside Canada

281. No person shall, inside or outside Canada,

(b) wilfully interfere with, or attempt to interfere with, an elector when marking a ballot or special ballot, or otherwise attempt to obtain any information as to the candidate for whom any elector is about to vote or has voted;

(g) wilfully prevent or endeavour to prevent an elector from voting at an election

Yikes.

[Dave]

So your pictures don't appear to show him at a ballot box or indeed touching one. It does look like an empty voting booth, and he does appear to be discussing the situation with someone there, who that is, I don't know.

There are other pictures around to that show the Liberal scrutineer handing out Liberal pamphlets to people entering the polling station.

http://landmarkreport.com/andrew/2011/04/photos-from-the-guelph-poll-scandal/

[Fonsie1]

Anyone who was there and witnessed Sona interfering in anyway with the Special Ballot election, should contact the Guelph Police and launch a complaint. They are waiting for a call btw.
Let the know you witnessed a crime and want to report it. They have to investigate, it's their job!

[Nola]

University of Guelph genetically-modified "Enviro-Pigs" are programmed to vote Liberal!!!

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/04/15/18003116.html

Oink for Iggy ....!!!!!

[Greg2011]

Not going to happen as the two witnesses reported by the Mercury were both in the Guelph Campus Liberal Club

[JBF]

Too bad this poll was illegal. It is illegal for any campaign literature to be handed out outside of or inside a polling area.

Advance polls are clearly advertised and marked in every community they are held in (all of them?) so how was this a legal polling station. Mr. Sona was obviously calling (not illegally since the station itself was illegal despite what the obviously Liberal Party biased Elections Canada official said) to report this illegal polling station.

The U of G was foolish to even allow this bastardization of a polling both. It's amazing how stupid some leaders of our higher educational institutions can be when it comes to anything political.

Dave...you are correct someone should contact the police regarding this as apparently this illegal polling station was set up by the Liberal candidate (or people with his campaign) in the riding.

[anonymous]

busted Sona should have filed a complaint with EC instead of breaking the law

[anonymous]

does anyone realize that SONA backwards is ANOS ?

[Greg2011]

Sorry but his presence is not breaking the law. Where is the proof he touched a ballot box? Guelph Campus Liberal members cannot be trusted as witnesses. They have since changed their story and it is now a hand gesture. However,there is proof the liberals were handing out literature. So the logic is this: Liberals were legal because polling station was illegal OR Liberals were illegal because polling station was legal. There is no other option!

[Brent Fullard]

This is proof of nothing. Four picture where he is not touching the ballot box. So what? Hardly a complete account of what was alleged to have happened. You call this journalism?

[ck]

oh yeah Dave! Andrew Lawton of Strictly Right--shoulda known. Yeah, all 5 of those pics look real incriminating. Four of them outdoors. Two reading a pamphlet, but it's not clear that it's a Liberal party pamphlet--other than a red bar, what other proof is there. Then the indoor polling station, again, real incriminating.

[Rob H.]

Really?

So - if we set up advance polls at Gun Shops and refuse to allow NDP or Liberal scrutineers, that would be fine?

The double-standard in this election is laughable - and now, of course, we have wide-spread lies about quotes attributed to Harper running front and centre in the desperate effort for Michael Ignatieff to stave off a Conservative majority.

Message to the left: You had your day, and it's done.

[Saskboy]

Make a complaint to the CEO here too, I did. More voices would help I'm sure.
http://www.elections.ca/courEL.aspx?lang=e

http://wp.me/pDJ8-AJ

[Greg Layson]

Brent

Please, read the post.

I asked Michael Sona and Ryan Sparrow specifically if Michael was, in fact, on campus that day - because if they said he wasn't, it would have made the allegations suspect.

Instead of answering yes or no, they ignored the question completely. Here's the answer.

He was on campus, lending some credence to the allegations, which have never been proven. Only video could do that.

Although, as you - and I (read the post) - point out, the photos do NOT show Michael touching the ballot box. But that wasn't the point of my post. The point was to illustrate he was, in fact, there. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that's something neither he nor national would confirm or deny.

[Greg Layson]

This comment section needs a clarification. This was NOT an "advance poll." It was a "special ballot." And special ballots do NOT require scrutineers. And special ballots ARE legal. Hope this helps: http://www.elections.ca/res/pub/ecdocs/EC10047_e.pdf

[Guelph Grad]

So when will Elections Canada enforce the rules both ways and go after the Liberals for breaking the law? Sona and the Conservatives NEVER stated he wasn't on campus, but the Liberals DID specifically state that they were not handing out literature.

http://landmarkreport.com/andrew/2011/04/photos-from-the-guelph-poll-scandal/

[Canasian]

Special Ballots are to be mailed in or done at the Office of the Returning Officer. Special Ballots are legal but there is no such thing as a special ballot box or special ballot polling station under the Elections Canada Act. Hence why they had to declare this polling station as being unauthorized.

There was nothing preventing these students to vote legally by Special Ballot at the Officer of the Returning Officer or by mailing in a Special Ballot.

Elections Canada can't have it both ways, it's either an advance polling station which means dozens of rules were broken, or it's not an advance polling station and Special Ballots were not submitted correctly according to the Act.

Elections Canada knows they're in the wrong since they've banned such practices and voting station in the rest of Canada.

[Greg2011]

Dear ck

The photo outside the Stone Road exit of the University Center with a Frank Valeriote pamphlet is clear. This same pamphlet was delivered to all Guelph households. Change your argument because it cannot be denied that this was not one of Frank's election phamplets. Greg Layson - was is this not the story?