Conservative fundraiser casts doubt on whether all votes were 'accurate and counted' in leaked call

A caller raising money for the Conservative Party cast doubt on the validity of the recount process in the recent federal election, according to a recording obtained by CBC News.

In the fundraising call, which happened on Saturday, an official identifying herself as being from the Conservative Party's supporter services claimed that Liberals and media seek to "attack" Conservatives and "scrutinize" the results of two judicial recounts won by Conservatives.

Later in the call, she suggested to a potential donor that the results of the recounts were not final.

"We need to stand up. We need to make sure all the votes are accurate and counted," she said.

The caller appeared to be referencing two tight races that were ultimately won by Conservatives — the Newfoundland riding of Terra Nova-The Peninsulas and the Ontario riding Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore.

She made the call a week after the judicial recounts finished, and after both Liberal candidates had conceded their losses.

The call was recorded by the recipient, who previously supported the Conservative Party of Canada. CBC News is not identifying the donor, who fears reprisal for speaking out. 

He said he shared the audio from the call because he felt frustrated and insulted that the party cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.

It's not the first time the Conservatives have sought to fundraise by suggesting Liberals are trying to affect the outcome of elections after the ballots were cast.

Shortly after the election, the party sent an email to its mailing list suggesting that their rivals sought to "flip just enough seats to edge closer to a majority" and were trying to "tip the scales" in the recounts.

"It is part of a very common but unsavoury technique to get people to donate," said Chris Tenove, assistant director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at University of British Columbia. 

"You both ring an emergency bell and say urgent funding is needed to address it. And that can put people into a state of mind where they're perhaps more likely to give money … big picture, I think this strategy of political advertising is corrosive." 

Conservative spokeswoman Sarah Fischer said in a statement that the party did not question the results, but "wanted to ensure the recounts were accurate and fair."

Under Canadian law, recounts are automatically triggered when the difference in the number of votes received by the top-finishing candidates is 0.1 per cent or less of the total number of votes cast. Recounts are overseen by Elections Canada, an independent agency.