PQ volunteer fired after being caught on video stealing rival's flyer
Another case of apparent sabotage is hitting the Quebec election campaign after a second video showed a party's flyer being swiped from an elector's home.
On Tuesday, Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon admitted one of his party's volunteers removed a leaflet belonging to the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) in the off-island riding of Masson.
Video footage from a doorbell camera dated Sept. 20 showed the volunteer working for candidate Stephane Handfield swiping the rival's flyer from a front porch.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, St. Pierre Plamondon said the volunteer has been fired.
"There's maybe 3,000 volunteers and they come to work and we don't look at the past or the resume of everyone," the PQ leader said.
The embarrassment for his party came one day after his own party was targeted in a flyer-swiping incident that was also captured on surveillance camera.
In that case, video showed Quebec solidaire candidate Marie-Eve Rancourt dropping off one of her flyers in a homeowner's mailbox and removing that of her opponent — the PQ leader.
Rancourt, a lawyer, apologized for the incident soon after the video surfaced online and hours later announced she was stepping down from the race.
Some constituents in the riding were clearly upset about the stunt.
"She's a lawyer, and if you talk about fairness, that's not a way to be elected and get trust from the people," one man told CTV News.
Another constituent told CTV her behaviour was simply "unacceptable."
It's a major upset for the party and for the people who voted already cast their ballot on the east-end Montreal riding. Votes for Rancourt that were cast on advance voting days held Sunday and Monday will be cancelled when the ballots are counted, according to Elections Quebec. Ballots with her name will be crossed out by hand on election day, on Oct. 3.
"It is a very, very disappointing situation. I think people would know that we would have preferred that this situation would not have happened," said Nadeau-Dubois on Tuesday during a campaign stop.
The election authority told CTV News that almost a quarter of electors have already voted in Camille-Laurin, with 11,048 voted.
A record 23 per cent of Quebec's 6.3 million eligible voters participated in two days of advanced polls, Elections Quebec said Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.