Liberal incumbent Shafiq Qaadri is running for re-election against PC Leader Doug Ford. Source: Facebook

TORONTO— A Liberal candidate handily quashed the post-debate glow his leader was enjoying Monday morning.

In a made-for-TV photo-op gone wrong, incumbent Shafiq Qaadri crashed NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s campaign stop in his Etobicoke North riding.

Video of the encounter posted by QP Briefing shows Qaadri speaking over Horwath during a scrum with reporters. “Welcome,” he interjects, “I think we both share a common goal.”

After first brushing him off, Horwath asked him to stand down. “Shafiq, if you don’t mind, I’m going to finish my press conference and then you can have all the time you want to talk to the media,” she said.

In defending his choice to crash the announcement, Qaadri invoked Premier Kathleen Wynne’s takeaway line from the final leaders’ debate.

“Sorry, but not sorry,” he said quoting Wynne.

Adding that he too gets “interrupted” when he’s out campaigning and suggesting his antics weren’t pre-meditated.

[READ MORE: Ontario NDP leader slams Doug Ford on his home turf]

“There wasn’t a particularly grand plan there wasn’t some master plan hatched out where we were tracking the bus by GPS it really just happened spontaneously,” he told the Canadian Press.

Liberal candidate Shafiq Qadri defends his decision to crash an NDP event this morning. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/jpx61YuoBv — Shawn Jeffords (@Shawn_Jeffords) May 28, 2018

Qaadri quickly found himself off side with Wynne who told reporters his actions were “inappropriate” and he “shouldn’t have done that.”

He later tweeted an apology to Horwath, calling his actions “rash and inexcusable.”

Liberal Campaign Co-chair David Herle also weighed in on Twitter, saying he called the NDP to “sincerely apologize” for Qaadri’s behaviour.

Qaadri is in a tough race in Etobicoke North. He’s up against Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and NDP Candidate Mahamud Amin.

Wynne’s campaign was hoping for a reset out of the Sunday debate. In her opening statement last night, Wynne used the “sorry, not sorry” line to acknowledge voters don’t like her personally, but strongly defend her government’s record.

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