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[np-related]

“We learned that Joe Volpe paid over $25,000 to Prime Contact, a calling company with offices in North Dakota,” he said.

It has been reported that voters in Volpe’s Toronto riding received harassing phone calls during the last election, which appeared to come from North Dakota’s 701 area code.

“These calls were made on behalf of the Liberal party,” Del Mastro said.

“I see that they used this company quite a bit. It seems that they were robodialing quite a number of people on behalf of the Liberal party.”

But the Tory attack failed badly after it was revealed they had actually confused two different call centres — one in Canada and one in the U.S. — with the same name.

“Mr. Speaker, they are going to need to get some better researchers, because there is a firm in North Dakota with the same name but it actually does not work for the Liberal party,” said NDP MP Charlie Angus.

The Liberals used Canadian call centre Prime Contact during the election, but it has no connection to a centre in North Dakota, also named Prime Contact.

Rae said Harper was smearing thousands of Canadians complaining about the calls.

“The prime minister and his colleagues have remarkable ability to turn themselves into victims,” Rae said.

“The prime minister cannot deny the fact that two of the companies that are involved with respect to [campaign] activities are now under serious investigation. Nor can he deny the fact that there is an RCMP investigation ongoing with respect to what happened in Guelph.”