CRTC fines total $369,900
All guilty parties tied to robocalls
The CRTC took aggressive steps to police political robocalls on Wednesday, fining MPs, political parties and the call-centre company that was used to send out the “Pierre Poutine” robocall on election day.
The CRTC imposed a total of $369,900 in fines against the federal Conservatives and NDP, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, Alberta’s Wildrose, Liberal MP Marc Garneau, Conservative MP Blake Richards and Edmonton voter contact firm RackNine.
All were responsible for robocalls that failed to properly identify the entity behind the call.
All of the political entities except the federal Tories and Richards have entered compliance agreements with the regulator that include safeguards to prevent future violations.
Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s enforcement chief, said the agency expects political parties and candidates to put safeguards in place.
“When enough evidence comes to our attention that we should take action, we do,” she said.
Rosen said the federal Tories and Richards have not agreed to change their procedures.
“They were contacted, of course,” she said. “One can only assume if they have not settled that they wish to take a different route.”
But after she spoke, the Conservative Party issued a statements stating that they co-operated with investigators.
“We will be paying the fine today and we will be seeking the CRTC’s assistance in ensuring that our compliance program is appropriate and comprehensive to ensure we completely comply with the rules in the future,” said Conservative spokesman Fred DeLorey.
Rosen said the size of the fines levied depends on a number of factors.
“The nature of the violation, the volume, the disincentive in terms of future compliance, the size of the entity, those are some of the factors,” she said. “Obviously it makes a difference. If we have a lot of violations versus fewer violations. It’s an art, not a science.”
The largest fine — $90,000 — was imposed on Wildrose for six “robocall campaigns” between March 2011 and November 2012, which did not name the party or provide contact information. Those calls were reported to have been conducted by RackNine.
The federal Conservative Party was fined $78,000 for a robocall “push poll” in Saskatchewan Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, which sought to rally public opinion against proposed riding changes.