The Blogging Tories have responded to the request to have Elections Canada look into their activities. Point well taken, a lot of people don’t get blogging and it’s as good an opportunity as any to explain it.  via: Bourque Newswatch

Maurice Vellacott - Chris Axworthy

Meantime there is quite the kerfuffle developing in Leighton Tebay’s riding of Saskatoon-Wanuskewin.

Liberal Chris Axworthy is running against Conservative incumbent MP Maurice Vellacott again. Tuesday night during a call in show on Shaw cable TV a caller said that Vellacott had been accused of sexually assaulting his church secretary.

To make a long story short, he never went to North Park Church, was never a pastor and the Bishop of the church was quick to respond. So was Vellacott who asked for the caller’s phone number and name during the show. The producers produced the information.

Church Directory - Saskatchewan - What denomination is North Park Church?
It appears the former Bishop is serving in the Evangelical Orthodox church under the Antiochian Archdiocese.
Maurice Vellacott lists himself with degrees from Briercrest  (what denomination?)  from Canadian Theological Seminary, (Nazarene and Christian and Missionary Alliance) and a doctorate from Trinity International University in Chicago, (free evangelical) and his bio says he served at Bethany in Hepburn, Saskachewan.(evangelical Mennonite).  According to a Bethany staff member, Vellacott taught one course, one semester. His use of the word ‘pastor’ is a loose one, often used in evangelical circles, it does not mean he has been officially ordained by a recognized denomination, and is therefore not a Reverend. Which begs another question - why would Lifesite use Bishop Jerold Gliege for a quote?

The call came from Chris Axworthy’s campaign office.
Axworthy hasn’t responded to this yet, I suspect he and investigators need to find out who placed it. Whoever did will face the wrath of Vellacott who stated he will start defamation proceedings.

Again, what is up with this kind of behaviour? What part of caller id, screening etc, didn’t this person get? Are they completely blind to the fact they are:  
a) easily traced  
b) hurting the person and the party they might be working for
c)  this kind of public accusation is against the law 
d) it’s taped  
e) It’s so foolish one has to wonder if a Vellacott supporter is spending time at the liberal headquarters dreaming up ways to discredit Axworthy. Or just a very disgruntled or bored person overall went in and used a phone. Or he/she has problems, most rational adults don’t decide to be a sacrificial lamb for a candidate and  risk charges. Most people will assume it was a liberal volunteer or campaign worker, but there is no evidence as yet.

The Lifesite story doesn’t say if Axworthy was in the studio, it mostly lays out Vellacott’s react. Media outlets get strange calls all the time, that is why producers are there to screen, but they don’t have a seven second delay on most cable shows. One got through, obviously. Nothing on Shaw Cable news Saskachewan.

This story just broke on Lifesite news (a Catholic site) a few hours ago, although it happened Tuesday night. Why did it take until today to ‘break’ it?  
I’ll track it and see what went on and what Axworthy’s response is.  Other than the Bishop’s statement, no word on the secretary’s response or investigators findings, so facts are rather slim.

Neale News and The Potent Pew  picked this up.

This has taken about two hours - picked up from PEI to BC
More to the Story blog
Officially Screwed - names the caller and says he is a liberal worker
Andrew Coyne 
CFRA not yet online.
Maurice Vellacott has released an official statement. (.doc file)
Western Standard
small dead animals
Quotulatiousness
The Black Kettle
The Crusty Curmudgeon
Kinny’s Comments
The Wayward Reporter  
The Heresy
Celestial Junk 
David Akin

Google News has picked up a Tuesday story about Maurice Vellacott from  Saskatoon’s The StarPhoenix on some of the things he has publicly said. More wrongs don’t make a right, the man that made the call to the TV station should be investigated and charged if necessary.

From Vellacott’s official statement:

Upon arrival back at his campaign office he was told that a person had reported in and was 100% confident that it was the voice of George Laliberte. The caller maliciously and falsely accused Vellacott of being “removed from North Park Church because you were charged with sexual assault” on his church secretary. Laliberte is a friend of Chris Axworthy’s and apparently owes Axworthy some favours. When the … number provided by the Shaw Cable staff member was dialed, it was found to be Chris Axworthy’s campaign office phone number.

Chris Axworthy responds

Axworthy has said he would investigate the matter.

“Certainly if these allegations are true, I would react to them very quickly,” he said. “We’ll investigate, we’ll find out whether the allegations are true, and we’ll make sure that if anybody did something of that sort they will not participate in our campaign in the future.”

Axworthy himself, who was present at the forum, said he heard the caller question Vellacott about sexual harassment at a church.

When told Shaw Cable had confirmed the number of the call, which was found to be that of Axworthy’s campaign office, he reiterated his promise to find the person responsible.

“If it came from our campaign, and we’ll take Shaw Cable’s word for that, they have the number, we’ll find out who it was, if we can, and we’ll make sure that person doesn’t participate again,” he said.

During a campaign, often people become excited or irate of what other candidates do, Axworthy said. He vehemently denied putting anyone up to the task.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “If any campaign was to do anything of this sort, would they be stupid enough to use their own phone numbers. It’s nothing I condone. I would never support it under any circumstances at all.”

From The StarPhoenix - what the caller said:

“Maurice, did you used to be a Liberal candidate at one time?” Before Vellacott could answer, he went on to ask “Were you also removed from (a local church) because you were charged with sexual assault on your secretary?”

Chris Axworthy also says he spoke with George Laliberte this afternoon. Laliberte denies making the call. This shouldn’t be too difficult for investigators to piece together.