Liberal Leader Mark Carney is calling the actions of two party campaign staffers who were reported over the weekend to have planted buttons that included “stop the steal” wording at a conservative event “totally unacceptable,” and says they’ve been reassigned within the campaign.
“This is totally unacceptable to be absolutely clear,” he said. “I was unaware of this behaviour, but on behalf of my campaign I apologize for it. I’ve made it absolutely clear to my campaign that this behaviour, anything approximating it or in that spirit, is unacceptable and cannot happen again.”
Carney said the two staffers have been “reassigned.”
The buttons, which appeared to use language similar to that of U.S. President Donald Trump, appeared at last week’s Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference, as first reported by CBC News.
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One said “stop the steal,” appearing to reference Trump’s rhetoric following his 2020 presidential election loss, while another had the name Jenni Byrne — the national campaign director for the Conservatives — crossed out and longtime strategist Kory Teneycke’s name below.
Tenycke, who played a key role in Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s reelection campaign, has been repeatedly critical of the federal Conservatives’ campaign, saying they have not focused enough on responding to Trump who “wiped the entire issue set off the table.”
In a statement to Global News on Monday, Liberal Party spokesperson Kevin Lemkay said the campaigners who created the buttons “regrettably got carried away.”
The party said that the buttons were “poking fun” at previous reports about Conservative infighting.
The party said they have acted quickly to review the matter, adding Carney made it clear to the campaign “this does not fit his commitment to serious and positive discourse.”
Simon Jeffries, a spokesperson for the Conservatives, said in an email on Sunday afternoon that “the Liberals have been caught red-handed importing American-style politics to Canada. The Liberals are willing to stoke election denial, and even national unity, in a bid to cling to power.”
“Mark Carney needs to address the actions of his campaign operatives,” he added.
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