'Stop the Steal' buttons at conservative meet-up a Liberal disinformation campaign

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OTTAWA — For the second time in less than a week, the federal Liberals have been accused of unethical election campaigning.

A bombshell story published Sunday by CBC News says Liberal election staffers planted controversial buttons at last week’s Canada Strong and Free Network conference in downtown Ottawa, an attempt the Conservative campaign says was a failed attempt to smear the Tories.

The conference, referred to often as the Manning Conference — its former name — provides conservative-leaning Canadians a chance to get together to talk about policy proposals and to network. This year’s conference was held at a hotel in downtown Ottawa.

“Despite their public claims, it’s clear that it’s the Liberals who are attempting to bring American-style politics to our country,”  Conservative candidate Michael Barrett — an Ontario MP who serves as his party’s ethics critic — told TheToronto Sun. 

“One wonders what other dirty tricks the Liberals are behind as they desperately seek to distract from their disastrous record while seeking a fourth Liberal term.”

While the staffers successfully infiltrated the conference and planted the buttons in places where they would be found, their scheme soon unravelled — thanks to Liberal campaign workers who couldn’t resist loudly bragging about it in an Ottawa bar Friday evening. They were overheard by both a Conservative party worker and CBC News reporter Kate McKenna.

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According to the CBC story, one of the buttons said “Stop the Steal” — referencing U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election — while another featured Tory campaign director Jenni Byrne’s crossed-off name, alongside Conservative strategist Kory Teneycke.

But the Toronto Sun has learned more suspicious buttons were also found at the event — one with “Free Alberta” and a pair of handcuffs, another with “Lock Justin Up” printed over prison bars, and some promoting climate change denialism.

Other buttons said “A Vote for Carney is a Vote for WEXIT,” while others said “Danielle Smith for CPC Leader 2026,” and “Make Canada Great Again.”

Teneycke has been a vocal critic of Byrne’s running of the federal Conservative campaign — with party sources describing a dysfunctional and hostile environment behind the scenes as the Tories trail the Liberals in the polls.

These low poll numbers contrast starkly with extraordinary turnouts seen at Conservative rallies across Canada, leading some Conservatives to accuse pollsters of skewing their results in favour of the Liberals.

In a statement, a Liberal party spokesperson said that “many materials being shown online” have nothing to do with members of the Liberal team, and that the party acted quickly to resolve” the matter.

“After many news reports last week about conservative infighting and prominent Trump allies being hosted at this Canadian conservative conference, it’s been reported that Liberal campaigners had created buttons poking fun at those reports — which regrettably got carried away,” the statement continued.

“As leader, Mark Carney has also made it clear to the campaign that this does not fit his commitment to serious and positive discourse.”

This election campaign featured the Liberals regularly accusing Pierre Poilievre of “American-style campaigning” in an attempt to tarnish the Conservative leader by comparing him to U.S. President Donald Trump.

This comes days after Conservative candidate Barbara Bal filed a police report about hundreds of stolen election signs in her riding of Nepean — where Liberal Leader Mark Carney chose to run after the party booted longtime Liberal MP Chandra Arya from the ballot.

Bal alleged Carney’s campaign workers destroyed her signs and used the wooden stakes to post Liberal signs — complete with photos of Carney signs clearly marked with Conservative blue paint, Nepean Conservative Association markings, and even nails with bits of Bal’s blue signboard still attached.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume