The Green party is trying to correct campaign signage for MP Blair Wilson after a complaint has been filed with Elections Canada.
According to a news release provided to media outlets on Monday by the Conservative party and the John Weston campaign, at least 10 of Wilson's large campaign signs around the riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country are not compliant with Elections Canada rules.
"These bright green signs feature Blair Wilson's name and no other information. Strict Elections Canada rules require that all marketing items be authorized by the official agent - this includes campaign signs," said the Conservative news release. "A complaint has been made to Elections Canada regarding this breach of campaign rules." When reached for further comment on Monday afternoon, Weston's media contact Shawn Thomas said the complaint was made by an individual in the riding and shared with the Weston campaign.
"The individual is not a part of our campaign, but the information was shared with us last Friday," Thomas said. "There were several large, green 'vote Blair' signs put up with no authorization and no logo. There are basic rules that need to be followed, and Blair needs to understand that."
Wilson's campaign manager Jordy Gold said campaign staff are now in the process of checking his signs to ensure they still have the official statement. Those that don't will be corrected as soon as possible.
"In the spirit of recycling and reducing waste, Blair decided to reuse dozens of signs from his previous campaign," Gold said. "After further investigation of the Conservative party's claim that some of Blair Wilson's election signs did not include the statement that they had been approved by his official agent, we have discovered that at least some of the signs identified by the Conservatives are doubled-sided, but the official statement is on one side only. We will now seek a ruling from Elections Canada on this matter."
Liberal candidate Ian Sutherland said on the surface it didn't seem like a big deal, if the only complaint was missing the official agent.
"Hopefully the Greens can add that to the signs and move on. I know we all have to follow the rules that are laid down by Elections Canada, but at the same time, I don't think it's the most pressing or compelling issue going on in this riding or across the country right now," Sutherland said. "As to the assertions that this is a pattern of flaunting rules by Mr. Wilson, I think that's probably a bit of an exaggeration. We're all trying to respond as quickly as possible to a snap election that's been called by the Conservative government. They promised an election a year from now. They called one to break their own law to have one now. I think the Conservatives should be mindful of why we're all in this situation and why we're scrambling to catch up."- With files from Squamish Chief
