Conservative motion in robocall case struck down

Conservative motion in robocall case struck down by Stephen Maher, Postmedia News, October 5, 2012
OTTAWA – The federal court has quashed a Conservative party motion seeking a $260,000 surety in the robocalls lawsuit, finding that the party’s lawyers “unnecessarily delayed and encumbered these proceedings.” The ruling – a rebuke for the governing party – clears the way for a federal judge to hear evidence in Ottawa in December. The lawsuit is seeking to overturn the election results in seven close ridings, alleging that fraudulent or deceptive calls suppressed the votes of opposition supporters, putting the election of seven Conservative MPs in doubt. The Conservatives have complained that the lawsuit is an attempt by partisan opponents to overturn election results they can’t accept and have repeatedly sought to derail or stop the case, which Steven Shrybman, the lawyer leading the case for the Council of Canadians, has complained amounts to legal obstructionism. On Friday, the court agreed with him, saying the Conservatives “have filed motion after motion, causing significant delays and adding to the costs of the litigation. The present motion for security for costs, say the applicants, is no different, and the respondent MPs should not be rewarded for their conduct.” [Emphasis added]