Elections Canada worker in GTA removed following allegations of voter interference

Sarah Petz · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 12:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Elections Canada says 1 of its employees volition nary longer beryllium moving astatine immoderate polling stations portion it investigates allegations they were attempting to power voters to formed their ballot for the Conservatives astatine an precocious polling presumption successful Vaughan, Ont. past weekend.

The allegation came from the run squad for King-Vaughan Liberal campaigner Mubarak Ahmed. 

Nadeem Mahmoud, the spokesperson for Ahmed's campaign, said aggregate radical reached retired to their office, saying a pistillate wearing an Elections Canada badge was approaching radical lined up to ballot astatine the Teston Village Public School successful Vaughan, and encouraging them to ballot Conservative successful the national election. 

The pistillate was speaking to radical successful English but besides successful Urdu, Mahmoud said.  

"This is thing which is not expected to happen. It's a breach of protocol," helium said. 

"It's similar a breach of nationalist trust. People locomotion successful to ballot astatine a definite location. They privation to beryllium escaped to ballot whichever mode they privation to." 

Two radical CBC News spoke with who were voting astatine the polling presumption past Friday said they witnessed a pistillate with an Elections Canada badge speaking with radical successful Urdu and making comments that she voted for "blue," the colour commonly associated with the Conservative Party of Canada. 

The Liberal run squad successful King-Vaughan sent a missive to Elections Canada connected Saturday astir the incident. 

In it, they called for a ceremonial investigation, retraining of canvass workers and for Elections Canada to "remove and discipline" immoderate individuals who violated the agency's codification of behaviour oregon guidelines regarding governmental neutrality. 

Worker 'will not beryllium present' astatine polling stations going forward: Elections Canada 

A spokesperson for Elections Canada said successful an email connection the idiosyncratic "will not beryllium present" astatine immoderate Elections Canada oregon polling presumption arsenic it investigates. 

"We instrumentality each allegations of that quality highly seriously. Protecting the integrity of the voting process is our priority," said Diane Benson. 

Benson said Elections Canada has besides notified the Commissioner of Canada Elections astir the incident. 

A spokesperson for the Commissioner of Canada Elections said they were alert of the contented but couldn't remark further. 

Conservative run says its 'crucial' that Elections Canada employees stay impartial

A Conservative Party of Canada run spokesperson said they had "no cognition of nor engagement successful immoderate specified an event."

"It's evidently important that Elections Canada employees beryllium impartial," the spokesperson said successful an email.

However, they did adhd that the enactment reported a akin incidental to Elections Canada wherever 1 of the agency's employees successful Milton East–Halton Hills South was encouraging radical to ballot Liberal astatine a polling station. 

CBC News has asked Elections Canada to remark connected this incidental arsenic well. 

NDP run spokesperson Anne McGrath said the enactment has afloat assurance successful Elections Canada and its mandate to guarantee the integrity of the antiauthoritarian process. 

"It's indispensable that each voters tin formed their ballot escaped from interference, and immoderate concerns indispensable beryllium taken earnestly and addressed swiftly," McGrath said successful an email. 

Green Party of Canada spokesperson Rod Leggett said the concern successful King-Vaughan needs to beryllium further investigated and called for some Elections Canada and parliamentarians to enactment unneurotic to much effectual screening protocols successful spot for predetermination workers. 

"In an property erstwhile wide democracies are being attacked, we indispensable beryllium other vigilant successful securing the integrity of the vote."