The case involving a Guelph campaign worker allegedly behind a flood of misleading phone calls made its way into court Friday.
Michael Sona, who volunteered on the 2011 federal election campaign of Marty Burke, is charged under the Elections Act with preventing or trying to prevent an elector from voting.
Sona, 24, was the only person charged by Elections Canada following a federal probe into a series of automated phone calls falsely informing voters that their voting locations had changed.
He has maintained his innocence since being charged, saying he didn’t have access to the Conservative Party’s national voter database.
Sona was not expected to appear in court Friday, and indeed did not appear. His lawyer declined comment.
The case will return to court later this month in order for lawyers to exchange information and set further court dates.
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party says the party was not involved in the calls and did everything it could to help Elections Canada conduct its investigation.
Frank Valeriote, Guelph’s Liberal MP, says the court case is important for Canadian democracy.
“It’s important for the electorate that they, through this process, will also better understand how fragile our system is,” he tells CTV.
Valeriote was also fined over robocalls made during the 2011 campaign, forfeiting $5,000 because the calls did not make it clear they were coming from his campaign office.
