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OTTAWA — A right-wing activist group that has become the dominant Facebook force in Ontario politics is starting to plan its strategy for next year’s federal election — just as the federal government debates new rules for how to regulate such groups.

“We expect to do this nationally,” said Ryan O’Connor, a lawyer and director for Ontario Proud, speaking on Parliament Hill shortly after testifying to MPs about a new elections finance bill.

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He said it remains to be seen whether it would be through a new Facebook page or the existing one, but he noted they already target Prime Minister Justin Trudeau occasionally. That can be expected to ramp up after the Ontario election ends this week.

“Really, there is a void we think that we can fill, and we intend to fill it,” he said.

Social media has been an important election battleground for well over a decade, but no group in Canadian politics has ever used Facebook as effectively as Ontario Proud to quickly build a huge outreach network to spread its message. Founded by former federal Conservative staffer Jeff Ballingall, Ontario Proud started off as an anti-Liberal Facebook page at the height of the furor over Ontario’s hydro rates in February 2016, and has since amassed more than 364,000 followers.