Stretching It

Front page!  Top of fold!  Bold lettering!

The Ottawa Citizen seems to have a real hate-on for the Conservative governing party.  Determined to throw as much doubt as possible on the legitimacy of its majority.  First through the revelations surrounding the now-infamous Robocalls purported to have massively taken place during the May 2011 election that brought the Conservative Party of Canada to its majority status, by its inferences that that status was achieved through manipulating the vote.

And now, through yet another article by Glen McGregor and Stephen Maher - basking in the glory of their previous successful unearthings of electoral fraud that was seen to have taken place in a localized area, but attributing a much larger geography, the implications being that it was a dastardly Conservative plot to gain power - the two have collaborated yet again on an article hinting of further mysterious alliances that have an odour of conspiracy about them.  And the reader's feverish imagination is expected to fill in the blanks.

In the news reportage-story of implied wrong-doing, a link has been made between the Conservative party and its main call centre company connection being employed for the purposes of fundraising by the Historica-Dominion Institute, also funded by government.  The Institute focuses on raising Canadian history awareness in the public arena.  Historica-Dominion publishes items highlighting Canadian historical events, produces "Heritage Minute" television spots and crates videos in commemoration of Canadian history.

But it has also committed the cardinal giveaway sin of using Responsive Marketing Group, a private agency, for telephone fundraising in aid of supplementing the $5- to $7-million yearly that it receives from the federal government.  Guilt-by-association hints at as-yet unrevealed scandals.  At the very least wrong-doing; linking groups with government in shadowy, suspicious endeavours that cast doubt on the legitimacy of what is involved.

That same telephone marketing group that has been favoured by the Conservatives has also done work on behalf of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an advocacy group that has been critical of the government, but which also has links to the Conservatives.  Not very meaty stuff, but anything will do to burnish the yawning blank spaces of a newspaper interested in leaving little question marks here and there for Conservative-suspicious readers to pick and embellish in their minds.

"They do acquisition and retention telemarketing for us as well as a direct mail campaign to existing donors.  Target Outreach does not use Conservative party lists on our file", explained Historica-Dominion spokeswoman Davida Aronvitch.  Records filed with Canada Revenue Agency gave the story the information that $1.3-million was raised in tax-receipted charitable donations, the fundraising cost being $587,000.

And, so?  Well, there's another link the story explored, and this one linking Historica-Dominion's top executive, lawyer Michael A. Levine - who specializes in marketing literature for publication (listing among his clients Pierre Trudeau, Michael Ignatieff and Preston Manning) and who also happens to be chairman of Toronto entertainment agency Westwood Creative Group - with none other than Prime Minister Stephen Harper!

This is the point at which a gasp of disbelief can be exhaled.

Lawyer Michael Levine, a personal friend of Michael Ignatieff as it happens, agreed to represent Stephen Harper, author of a soon-to-be-published book on hockey history.  Negotiations with potential publishers have been ongoing, not yet determined.  Mr. Levine, when questioned for the story was understandably annoyed at the tone of the enquiry.  "I'm not a political beast, I'm a literary beast", he growled.

And, although the investigative reporters did not make any firm declarations of their belief of wrong-doing somewhere in all of this mish-mash, the hints here and there present sufficient fodder for those easily aroused to indignation.  Perhaps, anticipating some of that blow-back, the Prime Minister, as a courtesy, could send them a gratis copy of his book, once published.

Oh, and another copy post-haste with a nice fly-leaf dedication, could be delivered to Yann Martel?