Elections Canada to recruit new investigators
Additional staff members will probe breaches of elections law
OTTAWA — Faced with an unprecedented number of politically charged investigations, Elections Canada is recruiting up to six new investigators to probe alleged violations of elections law.
The agency has issued a tender for a standing offer list, so investigators can be called on to work for Elections Canada when required.
The standing offer list details all the duties performed by investigators working for the Commissioner of Canada Elections — interviewing witnesses, obtaining search warrants and production orders, and working with federal prosecutors to bring charges, where necessary.
They must have a post-secondary degree or diploma in law enforcement and experience investigating commercial or economic crime and assisting bringing cases to trial.
Four of the six investigators that will qualify for the standing offer must be bilingual while two will need to work in English only.
Applicants are required to attest they are not engaged in “politically partisan activities at the federal, provincial or territorial level.”
Details of the standing offer were published this week on the government contracting website, MERX.
The recruitment comes as the agency’s staff juggle several high-profile investigations. They are busy looking into misleading robocalls in Guelph in the 2011 election and a broader investigation of live and pre-recorded calls in more than 200 other ridings.
At the same time, the agency is conducting separate investigations into the spending by Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro’s 2008 campaign in Peterborough and donations made to the same campaign by employees of a Mississauga electrical company owned by Del Mastro’s cousin.
The agency has also been dealing with former Conservative Intergovernmental Affairs minister Peter Penashue over expenses he claimed in 2011. Penashue resigned his seat earlier this month and announced his intention to run in a byelection. It is unclear if Penashue’s file was in the hands of investigators or just the Elections Canada auditors who review campaign finance reports.
Those are the case that are known publicly. There may be other investigations that have not been disclosed. The agency does not typically confirm or deny ongoing investigations.
Currently, Elections Canada has a stable of investigators working on sole-sourced contracts. It has also been drawing on a memo of understanding with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, allowing them to second resources to Elections Canada investigations. At least one RCMP officer is currently under secondment and assisting with the Del Mastro investigation.
But most of the investigators are hired on contracts. Investigator Peter Dickson, for example, is working on the robocalls file under a contract that pays $528,764.61 over a 17-month period.
Al Mathews, the former RCMP officer who has lead Guelph investigation and helped with the Del Mastro case, is an Elections Canada employee but was due to retire last year and may have to be hired on contract in future.
Elections Canada says it expects it will be more efficient to hire investigators through a standing offer rather than issuing sole-source contracts.
“There’s no way to predict the workload,” said spokesman John Enright. With standing offers, the investigators can be called on when they’re required.
“They’re only paid if they’re needed,” Enright said.
In keeping with the agency’s policy, Enright would not say how many investigations of alleged Elections Act violations are currently underway.