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Liberals allege gun group’s election ads break law, ask for investigation

Sep 25, 2019 | 2:19 PM

OTTAWA — The Liberals have filed a complaint about allegedly illegal advertising by the Canadian Shooting Sports Association during the federal election campaign.

Liberal candidate Adam Vaughan has written elections commissioner Yves Cote, asking that he investigate how much the association has spent producing online videos, commissioned in English and Mandarin, that the association says are already running on two television networks.

Any advocacy group that spends more than $500 during the campaign on political activity is required to register as a third party with Elections Canada.

As of today, Vaughan says the Canadian Shooting Sports Association is not registered, although it would appear to have incurred expenses exceeding $500.

Moreover, he says the videos do not include the legally required tag line identifying who authorized the ad.

The main message in the videos is that anyone who owns a gun must vote on Oct. 21, and the association also encourages its members to oppose their local Liberal candidates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2019.

The Canadian Press