Andrew Phillips didn't think much of the call he received on May 1, 2011.
It was an automated call that advised him his polling station had changed from the Sapperton Pensioners' Hall to a church that he can't remember the name of.
"I was confused, quite confused," said the longtime Royal City resident. "For a short while, I wondered what was going on, but I looked at my voter's card and decided I would just disregard the call and go to the pensioners' hall to vote. - It was so strange, but I just wrote it off as an aberration."
Fast forward to late-February and Phillips was watching the news and hearing about voters all across the country receiving "robocalls," automated calls that were allegedly giving people wrong information about their polling station or were harassing in nature and claiming to be from a particular candidate.
Phillips put the pieces together and felt strongly enough that he sent an email to Elections Canada on March 5 alleging he had been robocalled.
Several days later, Phillips got a call back from Elections Canada asking him three questions: Did the people who called identify themselves as being from Elections Canada; was it a male or female voice; and had you received a canvassing call from a political party prior to receiving the automated call.
Phillips told Elections Canada he couldn't remember in regards to the first two questions, but he and his wife Marianne had received a call from the Conservatives about a week prior to the election.
"It was a real person on the other line," said Phillips. "They asked whether we would be voting Conservative, and we both said no. We've received canvassing calls like this in the past, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary."
After watching more television news and hearing what other robocalls may have sounded like, Phillips is now pretty sure he received a robocall.
"I am absolutely sure that ours was not the only household in New Westminster/Coquitlam to receive such a robocall," said Phillips. "Anyone alse who received one should inform Elections Canada about theirs as well."
New Democrat Fin Donnelly was victorious in New Westminster-Coquitlam last May, defeating Conservative Diana Dilworth by more than 2,200 votes.
"If this is the case and it's proven that this is true, this is serious business, this is election fraud," Donnelly told The Record Monday afternoon. "This is absolutely unacceptable when it comes to tampering with the election process."
Donnelly said the scenario Phillips describes is consistent with what he's heard other people say has happened to them.
"People are contacted and asked who they are voting for, and if they say they're not voting for the Conservatives, the next call is about a voter station change," said Donnelly. "In a swing riding like mine, every vote counts."
Donnelly said that while his office has received calls from constituents who believe they may have been robocalled, Phillips' official complaint to Elections Canada is the first documented case he's heard about in his riding.
"I believe this is a serious enough issue that I'm calling for a public inquiry into this," he said. "People feel this is an attack on their fundamental rights and it seems like there's enough evidence for a public inquiry."
Dilworth told The Record on Monday morning she is surprised and shocked to hear of robocalls going to any constituents in New Westminster-Coquitlam.
"I am not aware of any robocalls taking place in New Westminster-Coquitlam," said Dilworth. "The only phone calls going Out for us were to our supporters, confirming their support. - I am surprised and quite shocked. I know shenanigans do take place during elections, and it's a shame this situation has gotten to where it has."
Dilworth said Phillips' complaint is the first she's heard in the riding she wanted to win and she, like Phillips, encourages anybody who may have received a robocall to contact Elections Canada.
Dilworth added she's following the story in the news, and while nothing has been proven so far, she is distressed in one regard.
"It's really unfair that all Conservatives have been painted with a very broad brush," she said. "I was and am a very proud Conservative candidate."
Phillips would like to see an inquiry into how widespread the robocalls were and if the Conservatives are found to be responsible, he'd like to see byelections in affected ridings or an entire new federal election to be called.
"This has to do with the governing of our country," he said. "The health of our democracy depends upon it."
SFU economics professor Anke Kessler published a report in February that states robocalls in the last federal election could have significantly influenced turnout at the ballot box.
"Ridings where voters were allegedly targeted by robocalls - meaning they were possibly discouraged from voting or directed to the wrong polls - experienced an estimated decline in voter turnout of three percentage points on aver-age. This reduction in turnout translates into roughly 2,500 fewer eligible voters going to the polls," she said.
New Westminster Coquitlam is a riding that has changed hands between the Conservatives and NDP several times in the last couple of elections.
The NDP's Dawn Black took the seat from Conservative Paul Forseth in 2006 and held it again in the October 2008 election, beating Conservative Yonah Martin by less than 1,500 votes. Black resigned and went on to be elected as the city's MLA.
In a November 2009 byelection, Donnelly received 12,171 votes, followed by Dilworth with 8,730 votes.
In May 2011, Dilworth lost with 20,806 votes, compared to Donnelly's 23,023.
