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InfoAlerteBot Speaks: About that "long-running accounting dispute with Elections Canada"...

Hot off the presses, it's the Official In-and-Out Talking Points! Which, for the first time in ages, actually do appear to be talking points, and not simply a press release cunningly guised as a confidential internal memo to MPs and supporters, or whatever the agreed-upon term is these days. 

I admit to a special fondness for the phrase stolen for the headline. Nothing to see here, folks -- just a long-running accounting dispute. Other than that, nothing new -- other than, obviously, acknowledgement of the news that broke tonight on charges -- administrative, true, but still, technically charges -- being laid against four current and former senior party officials, including Senators Finley and Gerstein. 

From: Alerte-Info-Alert
To: Alerte-Info-Alert
Sent: Thu Feb 24 19:02:38 2011
Subject: Ongoing 5-year Legal Dispute with Elections Canada / Conflit de 5 ans avec Élections Canada

Ongoing 5-year Legal Dispute with Elections Canada

Yesterday Elections Canada laid administrative charges in the ongoing Regional Media Buy case against the Conservative Party and four individuals who were party officials in 2006 (Doug Finley, Irving Gerstein, Michael Donison, Susan Kehoe) arising from disagreements about expense allocations from the 2006 Election campaign.

Our position is clear:
  • We are not surprised by the decision to lay administrative charges. These are not criminal charges. Elections Canada has been pushing for these charges for nearly two years.
  • This is another step in the long-running accounting dispute with Elections Canada - we have been arguing about this for nearly 5 years now.
  • On January 18, 2010 the federal court clearly ruled in favour of the Conservative Party's position on this specific issue.
  • We are disappointed that Elections Canada filed these administrative charges after losing in federal court and not waiting for the appeal court's decision in that matter.
  • Our Party plays by the same rules as everyone else. We followed those rules.
  • Our position on this issue has been consistent and has been validated by the federal court:
  • We did not exceed the spending cap in the 2006 election
  • Both the Liberals and NDP used regional media buys in the 2006 election; and the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois all executed fund transfers in both 2004 and 2006
  • We were completely upfront in all of our filings about how we allocated these expenses
  • We followed the rules, relying on Election Canada's own Handbook. Elections Canada changed the rules in their own Handbook after the election.

Please refer to these talking points when speaking with local media and refer all other media enquiries to Fred DeLorey.

Tags: blackberry jungle, conservative party, in-and-out, no - seriously! in-and-out!, unnamed party officials who were not the least bit overzealous