Elections Canada says one of its employees will no longer be working at any polling stations while it investigates allegations they were attempting to influence voters to cast their ballot for the Conservatives at an advanced polling station in Vaughan, Ont. last weekend.
The body that oversees federal elections also confirmed it is looking into a similar incident at another Greater Toronto Area riding involving a campaign worker who was allegedly supporting the Liberals.
The Vaughan incident was made public by the campaign team for King-Vaughan Liberal candidate Mubarak Ahmed.
Nadeem Mahmoud, the spokesperson for Ahmed’s campaign, said multiple people reached out to their office, saying a woman wearing an Elections Canada badge was approaching people lined up to vote at the Teston Village Public School in Vaughan, and encouraging them to vote Conservative in the federal election.
The woman was speaking to people in English but also in Urdu, Mahmoud said.
“This is something which is not supposed to happen. It’s a breach of protocol,” he said.
“It’s like a breach of public trust. People walk in to vote at a certain location. They want to be free to vote whichever way they want to.”
Two people CBC News spoke with who were voting at the polling station last Friday said they witnessed a woman with an Elections Canada badge speaking with people in Urdu and making comments that she voted for “blue,” the colour commonly associated with the Conservative Party of Canada.
The Liberal campaign team in King-Vaughan sent a letter to Elections Canada on Saturday about the incident.
In it, they called for a formal investigation, retraining of poll workers and for Elections Canada to “remove and discipline” any individuals who violated the agency’s code of conduct or guidelines regarding political neutrality.
Worker ‘will not be present’ at polling stations going forward: Elections Canada
A spokesperson for Elections Canada said in an email statement the worker “will not be present” at any Elections Canada polling stations as it investigates.
“We take all allegations of that nature extremely seriously. Protecting the integrity of the voting process is our priority,” said Diane Benson.
Benson said Elections Canada has also referred the incident to the Commissioner of Canada Elections, which is the office responsible for ensuring compliance with the Canada Elections Act and investigating potential breaches.
A spokesperson for the Commissioner of Canada Elections said they were aware of the issue but couldn’t comment further.
Conservative campaign flags Milton incident
A Conservative Party of Canada campaign spokesperson said they had “no knowledge of nor involvement in any such an event.”
“It’s obviously crucial that Elections Canada employees be impartial,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The Conservatives also said they reported a similar incident to Elections Canada, where they said one of the agency’s employees in Milton East–Halton Hills South was encouraging people to vote Liberal at a polling station.
An Elections Canada spokesperson said it is aware of this situation as well and have referred it to the Commissioner of Canada Elections.
“Measures have been put in place by the returning officer to ensure election workers continue to remain non-partisan,” the spokesperson said in an email on Monday.
Other parties say concerns must be taken seriously
NDP campaign spokesperson Anne McGrath said the party has full confidence in Elections Canada and its mandate to ensure the integrity of the democratic process.
“It’s essential that all voters can cast their ballot free from interference, and any concerns must be taken seriously and addressed swiftly,” McGrath said in an email.
Green Party of Canada spokesperson Rod Leggett said the situation in King-Vaughan needs to be further investigated and called for both Elections Canada and parliamentarians to work together to more effective screening protocols in place for election workers.
“In an age when liberal democracies are being attacked, we must be extra vigilant in securing the integrity of the vote.”
