It’s not robocalls but it seems Stephen Harper’s parliamentary secretary, Dean Del Mastro, has found himself an election scandal all to himself. Best known as the Conservatives point man on all things robocall and Parliament’s most advanced talking points machine, Del Mastro appears to be under investigation by Elections Canada for violations relating to expenses for his 2008 campaign for his seat as MP for Peterborough, Ont.

According to the Ottawa Citizen, “The allegations of Elections Act violations are listed in the court order compelling Frank Hall, owner of Holinshed Research Group, to produce emails, invoices and other documents related to work he did for Del Mastro.”

Holinshed Research is a (potentially defunct) research firm that conducted both voter identification and get-out-the-vote calls and research for Dal Mastro in 2008.  Most recently the firm’s president, Frank Hall, has been spending some time in civil court alleging his good friend Deano (I’m sure that is what he calls him) has stiffed him on a bill or two.

If the Elections Canada investigation leads to where all the fingers are pointing it could mean Del Mastro breached his spending limit by over $17,000 and paid $21,000 in personal contributions when the limit was $2,100. But hell, what’s an extra zero?

Del Mastro says he knew nothing of the investigation and this was probably just a bunch of jerks out to get him for defending his government, “But I’ll deal with them through facts,” he said. Because if there is anything the Deaner’s robot-like responses are known for it is answering questions thoroughly and dishing out facts.

 
Ottawa CitizenThe Albatross