Volpe files complaint over U.S. calls

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Joe Volpe has contacted Elections Canada about reports from residents in his Toronto riding receiving harassing telephone calls from an U.S.-based number. Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press

Toronto Liberal candidate Joe Volpe has asked Elections Canada to formally investigate reports that residents in his riding are being harrassed by repeated calls from a North Dakota phone number claiming to represent his campaign.

Volpe — an incumbent candidate in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, who is seen as vulnerable to a potential Conservative breakthrough in Toronto — says angry residents have called him to complain that they have been contacted four or five times in the past week.

One such call was also received by a volunteer at Volpe's campaign office in Toronto, the complaint says.

Volpe's campaign said it believes these calls break election rules, because they originate from the U.S., and it's not known who is behind them.

"We believe this matter warrants investigation as it appears there may have been an infringement of campaign rules in Canada and/or violation of the Canada Elections Act," the campaign said in a letter to Marc Mayrand, Canada's chief electoral officer.

"At the very least we know the consitutents in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence are being harassed by continuous telephone calls from individuals disguising themselves as volunteers of the Joe Volpe Campaign."

The Conservative Party, and their local candidate Joe Oliver, say they know nothing about the calls.

"All calls from our campaign are proudly identified as being on behalf of Joe Oliver and the Conservative Party of Canada," a campaign worker told CBC News in an emailed statement earlier this week.

"All calls made on behalf of the Joe Oliver campaign are made from within Canada. We have no contract with any company in the U.S. to do calling on our behalf."

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