Ottawa police investigate hand-written lawn sign threatening violence against Liberals

Disturbing election sign vandalism Police are asked to investigate incidents of vandalism surrounding election signs, CTV's Joanne Schnurr reports.

The Liberal candidate for Kanata-Carleton has contacted Ottawa Police after snapping a photo of a lawn sign threatening violence against Liberals.

Candidates from other parties say the damage to their signs is unprecedented.

Karen McCrimmon said she struggled with what to do about the sign but felt it was important to speak out against intolerance.

She's been joined by several other candidates in denouncing the hatred.

McCrimmon was out door knocking with her team yesterday when she came across what she calls an unsettling sign on someone's front lawn suggesting violence against Liberals.

"We shoot every third Liberal" the hand-written sign said.  "The second one just left."

“It was unsettling to see it there, advocating violence,” she says, “because of a difference of opinion. Oh my God, is this what we've come to?”

McCrimmon says she struggled with what to do about the sign. The retired lieutenant colonel said she had worn a flak jacket in Afghanistan to secure the right to vote for people there.

"Damned if I would allow this to pass unchallenged." she tweeted.

“Could we let it go?” she said in an interview, “Sure we could let it go but I’m afraid there are those that think if I can go this far, maybe I can go further still.”

McCrimmon reported the incident to police; she also heard from other candidates, including the Conservative candidate Justina McCaffrey who tweeted "threats of violence have no place in our democracy. I've instructed our campaign to remove our sign from this property."

McCrimmon wouldn't say where the homeowner lived.  A Conservative volunteer for McCaffrey’s campaign, who was planting signs today, said the incident is shocking.

“It’s unacceptable,” Jason Gabie said, “I had hoped we wouldn't have to go through that in this day and age.”

Candidates across the country are decrying the increase in racist and violent messaging being spray-painted on their campaign signs.

Paul Adams, an associate professor with Carleton’s School of Journalism says it is a worrisome trend.

“One of the lessons we have from the U.S. is that if you have extreme messages in the public sphere, they provoke some people who are at the margins to act on them,” Adams said, “That's the worrisome thing.”

Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative candidate in Carleton has also contacted police after dozens of his signs were stolen or destroyed.

“We're condemning vandalism and theft being done against any candidate for any of the parties.”

McCrimmon says she hopes this person knows what he did is illegal.

She also hopes to promote a dialogue about the importance of accepting other's political views.