August 17, 2019
WINNIPEG - Manitoba Liberals say the company that released a poll showing PCs and NDP in a dead heat in Manitoba has never run a poll before because its line of business has been running town halls for unions and the NDP.
Liberals say the poll has a number of huge red flags. The company’s website does not identify who owns, runs, or works at the company. The poll is supposed to have been “uncommissioned” — which is to say nobody paid for it. The fact that Converso doesn’t disclose who runs their company, much less the owner’s connections to the NDP, shows they have something to hide.
Liberals say the Manitoba NDP, Converso and Converso’s owner, Carl Mavromichalis, need to answer questions about the poll.
• Who paid for the poll?
• Has Converso or its owner, Carl Mavromichalis, ever provided services to the Manitoba NDP?
An online profile of Converso’s owner Carl Mavromichalis, found on a separate site, shows the company’s core products and services are Virtual or Telephone Town Hall Services Stakeholder Engagement Consulting — not polling.
Mavromichalis’ bio goes on to say:
“Before founding Converso, Carl was a Senior Associate with a leading political consulting firm where he was involved in a wide array of client VYH projects, the Government of Manitoba, the Government of Alberta, Alberta’s Royalty Review, Ontario Power Generation, the City of St. Catharines, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.”
That “leading political consulting firm” was Stratcom — a company that runs election services for NDP candidates, non-profits and unions. Stratcom’s services include voter engagement, data collection and fundraising, and Stratcom’s website shows its clients included the Federal NDP, LeadNow and the Canadian Labour Congress.
In a letter to the Toronto Star from March 16, 2007, Mavromichalis describes himself as a “former active member of the New Democratic Party."
This is a shameful attempt on the part of the NDP to manipulate Manitobans and it is just one more reason why Manitoba Liberals are the only progressive option in this campaign.
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