Liberal Calgary MP allegedly caught on camera nicking opponent's flyer

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He was beyond surprised.

Video making its way across social media Tuesday shows Calgary-Skyview Candidate George Chahal — the only Liberal to win a seat in the CPC-blue city Monday night — supposedly removing a rival candidate’s flyer from the door of a home Sunday night and walking away with it, before leaving one of his own.

Glenn Pennett, who owns the northeast Calgary home, said his video doorbell recorded the entire interaction, adding the flyer taken by Chahal belonged to the Conservative incumbent Jag Sahota, who lost her seat to Chahal on election night.

“Taking stuff off my property, and leaving something else — I would do anything to have him charged,” he told the Sun Tuesday evening.

Chahal’s campaign manager Randall Zalazar admitted to the Sun that Chahal took the flyer, but said he did so because it contained incorrect information.

“While dropping off polling info flyers prior to polls opening on Election Day, George removed a piece of campaign literature that identified an incorrect polling location for the person residing at the address,” Zalazar wrote in an email.

“All through Election Day, campaign volunteers found incorrectly labelled materials across the eastern side of the riding. Our campaign contacted Elections Canada and advised them of the issue.”

When asked which candidate’s flyer Chahal removed, Zalazar declined to comment and directed the Sun to the Elections Canada returning officer.

Despite Zalazar’s claim, Pennett maintains that it was Chahal’s flyer that contained incorrect info, directing him to cast his ballot at a polling station in the Calgary neighbourhood of Coventry Hills — nearly 15 km away and on the other side of the riding from his home in Temple.

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Pennett’s voter registration card directed him to vote at an elementary school just down the road from his home.

Section 325 (1) of the Canada Elections Act prohibits “… prevent(ing) or impair(ing) the transmission to the public of an election advertising message without the consent of a person with authority to authorize its transmission.”

Chahal, a former Calgary city councillor, made headlines early last month when he advertised a ‘campaign kick-off’ event over a week before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s snap election call.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume