The Liberal and NDP campaigns in Saanich South are pointing fingers at each other over a debate in Prospect Lake on Wednesday that was seemingly stacked with party faithful.
The most visible example was when former Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt, who up until a few weeks ago was paid by taxpayers to work for the Liberal caucus, stood up to grill NDP candidate Lana Popham about the NDP's ethnic outreach constituency scandal and recent so-called shakedown of business groups for donations.
"I found it very bizarre that someone being paid by the Liberal party was standing in line to ask a question at a community meeting," Popham said. "I thought the questions were out of line for a community meeting."
Mayencourt, who said he's volunteering on Liberal candidate Rishi Sharma's campaign, said he couldn't stay silent amid what he called the "rent a crowd" for the NDP. Around 100 people attended the Prospect Lake Community Hall for the event.
"We'd been two hours into the thing, with every question pumping Lana Popham's tires, if you will," said Mayencourt. "A string of approximately 25 NDP questions about how she manages to stay so in touch with her community or whatever the heck it happens to be."
Then longtime NDPer Sabba Sall stands up to ask a question critical of the Liberals about the ethnic outreach scandal. He happens to be a former uncle to Sharma, though Popham said he's not working on the NDP campaign.
"This guy starts yelling at me, about child poverty," said Sharma. "He's screaming at me, and I think give me a break buddy."
In comes Mayencourt, to level the score, talking about the auditor general report that criticized the NDP for pooling $200 from each constituency fund for ethnic outreach activities, and a recent letter from the NDP provincial secretary trying to solicit donations from Liberal-friendly businesses.
The crowd started booing him.
"Oh my goodness it was hostile," said Mayencourt.聽 "It was an NDP room and a big uproar," added Sharma.
"I think [Popham] was getting by pretty easy," said Mayencourt. "They made some comments about us having a slush fund, and I just went, you know, fair is fair and if you want to play that game all day and all night then hell, I'm going to react."
He said he didn't see anything wrong with being a Sharma volunteer and asking a question at an all-candidates meeting in a riding where he doesn't even live.
"I wasn't worried about it at all. [Former NDP MLA] David Cubberley was there. The other candidates were there. There's nothing wrong with me attending a candidate's meeting when my buddy is up in the front of the room."
Sharma admitted it's not usual for his campaign workers to ask questions at community rallies. "We have a strict policy in my campaign of not doing that kind of crap."
Popham admitted she too may have had unpaid volunteers ask questions at the event. "There might have been," she said. "I have tons of volunteers."
