BURNABY—The People’s Party of Canada candidate for Burnaby South is accusing her Conservative party opponent of “smearing” her in a pamphlet printed in both English and Chinese that is being distributed throughout the riding.

Conservative candidate Jay Shin’s brochures, which included pictures of marijuana leaves and empty syringes, were delivered to constituents last week.

The pamphlet slams the PPC for its support of marijuana legalization, and says PPC Leader Maxime Bernier is “open” to more safe-injection sites. It then asks, “How is this different from Justin Trudeau? Are these your values?”

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PPC candidate Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, who is running in the Feb. 25 federal byelection, told Star Vancouver the brochure is a smear campaign, an attack on her character and a “direct inducement for people to vote against me.”

“The constituents in Burnaby South are largely Chinese. What they love about me is my anti-drug stance. So just to throw the opposite in a flyer that is being delivered where I cannot adequately defend myself in the short time period to disprove this is very wrong,” she said.

Both the PPC and Conservatives are vying for right-of-centre and far-right votes. The connection with drugs comes from Bernier’s past statements, as well as support the party has received from Vancouver’s “Prince of Pot,” Marc Emery.

Thompson called them “lies” and said she “isn’t sure” whether Emery still has ties to the party. She said she immediately contacted the Shin campaign to request that it stop distributing the flyers but received no response.

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She then filed a formal complaint with the Commissioner of Canada Elections — an independent officer whose duty is to ensure that the Canada Elections Act and the Referendum Act are complied with and enforced — requesting “urgent action” in response to the printing and distribution of the brochure.

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Shin’s campaign issued a statement on Thursday in response, saying Bernier has been directly quoted in the media in favour of the legalization of marijuana and, “more disturbingly,” open to reviewing the position on safe-injection sites.

“Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson can explain Maxime Bernier’s position on the legalization of marijuana and drug injection sites,” it read. “And if she is in disagreement with Bernier and the People’s Party, why is she running for them?”

A spokesperson at the commissioner’s office issued an emailed statement to Star Vancouver, saying it could not comment due to the confidentiality provisions in the Canada Elections Act. However, the spokesperson added that the commissioner “examines carefully all complaints” to determine whether they warrant an investigation.

On Monday, Thompson told Star Vancouver she received an email over the weekend that suggested the commissioner may not pursue a case. She posted quotes from the response on her Facebook page and read them to Star Vancouver over the phone.

“In order that elections be conducted freely and in a manner consistent with traditional democratic values — and in the interest of promoting vigorous debates and exchanges of ideas, it is important that considerable latitude be given to electoral contestants so that they may criticize or take issue with the views or the positions of their opponents or those of their leader,” the alleged statement read.

Thompson said she is deeply opposed to both marijuana legalization and safe-injection sites, and noted that neither is part of the PPC platform.

“This is not a party issue,” she said. “You can say you’re open so it can be examined in a democracy. But that does not mean you stand up for it.”

The PPC’s website currently states that its platform is still being finalized, and until that happens, it says the policies proposed by Bernier when he was running for the leadership of the federal Conservatives in 2016-17 apply. It added that the party’s platform will be “mostly based” on the same policies.

In 2016, Bernierfavoured legalizing marijuana.

Shin said voters have a right to know exactly where a candidate and each of the parties stand, and that is why his campaign released the flyers. He also insisted that Bernier has been “very clear” that he supports marijuana and is open to more safe-injection sites.

Thompson, Shin claimed, has used questionable strategies on her own campaign.

“She’s been going after the Conservative votes by using tactics and misleading information,” he explained. “She miscited the Elections Act in her press release regarding our statement and is saying it’s a violation. I’m concerned as a potential MP lawmaker for her to be rewriting the act to suit her purpose ... and people should be aware of that.”

According to Burnaby Now, Thompson’s campaign took out ads in last week’s print edition that included listing the word “Korean” four times and “Korea” once next to Shin’s name, followed by two words: “Identity politics?”

PPC supporters have bombarded Twitter in favour of Thompson, some going so far as to post homemade videos to YouTube.

One video superimposes the audio from one of the all-candidates debates onto a scene from a movie that uses Thompson’s face and depicts her ripping out the heart of federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who’s running in Burnaby South.

In an emailed statement to Star Vancouver, Liberal candidate Richard T. Lee said he plans to focus on the party’s plan to expand the local economy, strengthen the middle class and offer “real help” for families in the riding.

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“Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives are doubling down on the same negative and divisive politics that we all remember from Stephen Harper,” the statement read.

Thompson, Shin and Lee will face Singh and independents Valentine Wu and Terry Grimwood.

Read more:

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