Thursday November 20th, 2014 – 10am
Posted Nov 20, 2014 02:27:17 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
10:00 – Sona Sentenced
Dr. Zachary Spicer, Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy, Wilfrid Laurier University
Frank Valeriote, MP, Guelph
The former Conservative staffer convicted in the 2011 robo calls scandal has been sentenced to nine months behind bars. The Crown had wanted Michael Sona to spend at least a year and a half in jail for his role in the successful plot to misdirect voters on the morning of the 2011 federal election. Thousands of automated phone calls went out to citizens in and around Guelph on May 2, 2011, with incorrect information on where to vote. Liberal supporters received most of the calls. Sona will also spend 12 months on probation in what the judge in the case calls a difficult and troubling sentence. Sona was found guilty of wilfully preventing or endeavouring to prevent an elector from voting, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Crown attorney Croft Michaelson asked for a harsh sentence in the range of 18 to 20 months to send a message to anyone who might consider committing election fraud.
10:30 – Liberal cuts to education sector
Catherine Fife, NDP MPP, Kitchener Waterloo
The New Democrats say a government document shows the Liberals plan to cut funding for education by half a billion dollars over three years, a move they warn will lead to school closings. A copy of the government’s education funding guide calls for permanent savings of up to $500 million by 2017-18.
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