Liberal MP-elect George Chahal under fire after doorbell cam allegedly shows election flyer theft
There was no lack of reports of signs being stolen off people’s lawns throughout the most recent federal election. Indeed, in most elections, volunteers can be caught removing political campaign literature. Largely these activities can be attributed to mischievous teens, overzealous campaign volunteers and even the odd disjointed political “activist.” Surely, however, a serious political candidate wouldn’t go around and steal an opponent’s campaign literature from people’s doors, right?
Shockingly, Liberal MP-elect George Chahal did exactly that in the riding of Calgary-Skyview. Voters in the constituency, as well as defeated incumbent Conservative MP Jag Sahota, were shocked to see security footage of Chahal reportedly removing her literature from someone’s door and replacing it with his own.
Chahal’s team has stated that he was removing his rival’s literature because it allegedly featured inaccurate election information. Even if this is true, removing literature is extremely unethical and should be investigated by Elections Canada. Furthermore, removing mail from someone’s property without permission is considered mail theft and should be investigated by police as well.
We will be following up with our legal team to see what can be done to ensure that George Chahal is held accountable. The fact that he is a former Calgary city councillor and now a Member of Parliament should mean he is held to a higher standard, not given a free pass.
The election may be over, but we are following up with real journalism on election issues that matter, like this one. If you want to support our efforts to hold politicians accountable, you can do so at RealReporters.ca.