VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouverites joined thousands of Canadians rallying in more than 24 cities across the country Sunday to once again denounce the robocall scandal.

Organizers are calling it the National Day of Action Against Election Fraud. Rallies were planned for more than two dozen locales, including all major cities from St. John’s to Victoria. They want a full public inquiry into the robocall scandal, in which thousands of voters got phone calls directing them away from the proper polling stations in last May’s election.

In Vancouver, the rally started at 2 p.m. in front of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It featured federal NDP candidates who had just wrapped up their final leadership debate, including BC’s Nathan Cullen, who insisted this issue is more than just partisan politics at play.

“I think we need byelections,” he said. “I think there are people sitting in the House of Commons right now, whose very legitimacy in sitting there as Conservatives is called into question, because people were disenfranchised.”

Another candidate, Peggy Nash, who has spent time as an election observer in South Africa and Ukraine, said the controversy erodes confidence in Canadian democracy.

“We need a thorough investigation and the government needs to cooperate with that investigation,” she said. “We need to find out who was involved. We need to be able to get to the bottom of this.”

The Liberals and New Democrats accuse the Conservatives of being behind the calls — a charge Prime Minister Harper denies.

Elections Canada is reviewing more than 31,000 reports of Canadians receiving robocalls.

Conservatives continue to deny involvement in the robocalls following conference

Meanwhile, a two-day “conservative family reunion” ended with a call for more ethics in politics.
    
The Manning Centre networking conference was held as the Harper Conservatives continue to deny any involvement in a campaign to misdirect voters in the last federal election.
    
Former Reform party leader Preston Manning led the conference.
    
He told delegates that such allegations erode the public’s confidence in the political system as a whole.
    
He added that being conservative isn’t just about following right of centre policies — it’s also about doing what’s right.
    
Six federal cabinet ministers addressed the conference, dropping hints about changes coming in the March 29 budget.
    
They include more private sector involvement in social programs and a different approach to oversight of government spending.