When I posted about the Elections Canada Investigators' Manual, I was quite pleased to find an angle that no one else seemed to have noticed.

Unfortunately, the main stream media beat me again.  Glen McGregor of the Canwest News Service filed a story a week earlier that makes explicit mention of the manual and the rules the investigators are supposed to follow:

Two questions are left hanging after the RCMP executed a search warrant at Conservative Party headquarters yesterday on behalf of Elections Canada: What records was the electoral watchdog looking for? And why did it take a search warrant to get them?

While the court case grinds, so has [Commissioner of Elections William Corbett's] investigation. He can refer a case to the public prosecutor, but he does not have the power to subpoena records or compel witnesses to testify. If he wants documents that someone will not provide, he must ask a court to issue a search warrant or subpoena.

According to Elections Canada's manual for investigators, before a warrant is obtained, a "suspect" in an investigation must first be asked for the documents and told he or she has the right to refuse.

Ah well.  Still, that a pro thought the issue was relevant makes me feel good.

Check out other entries from the In-and-Out category
Results will open in a new window.

Search for more opinions from Canadian bloggers on these related keywords
 Elections Canada  Conservative Party 

Sphere presents related news articles and blog posts
Sphere It!