Elections Canada worker in GTA removed following allegations of voter interference

Elections Canada says one of its employees will no longer be working at any polling stations while it investigates allegations they were attempting to influence voters to cast their ballot for the Conservatives at an advanced polling station in Vaughan, Ont. last weekend.

The allegation came from the campaign team for King-Vaughan Liberal candidate Mubarak Ahmed.

Nadeem Mahmoud, the spokesperson for Ahmed's campaign, said multiple people reached out to their office, saying a woman wearing an Elections Canada badge was approaching people lined up to vote at the Teston Village Public School in Vaughan, and encouraging them to vote Conservative in the federal election.

The woman was speaking to people in English but also in Urdu, Mahmoud said.

"This is something which is not supposed to happen. It's a breach of protocol," he said.

"It's like a breach of public trust. People walk in to vote at a certain location. They want to be free to vote whichever way they want to."

Two people CBC News spoke with who were voting at the polling station last Friday said they witnessed a woman with an Elections Canada badge speaking with people in Urdu and making comments that she voted for "blue," the colour commonly associated with the Conservative Party of Canada.

The Liberal campaign team in King-Vaughan sent a letter to Elections Canada on Saturday about the incident.

In it, they called for a formal investigation, retraining of poll workers and for Elections Canada to "remove and discipline" any individuals who violated the agency's code of conduct or guidelines regarding political neutrality.

A spokesperson for Elections Canada said in an email statement the worker "will not be present" at any Elections Canada or polling station as it investigates.

"We take all allegations of that nature extremely seriously. Protecting the integrity of the voting process is our priority," said Diane Benson.

Benson said Elections Canada has also notified the Commissioner of Canada Elections about the incident.

A spokesperson for the Commissioner of Canada Elections said they were aware of the issue but couldn't comment further.

A Conservative Party of Canada campaign spokesperson said they had "no knowledge of nor involvement in any such an event."

"It's obviously crucial that Elections Canada employees be impartial," the spokesperson said in an email.

However, they did add that the party reported a similar incident to Elections Canada where one of the agency's employees in Milton East–Halton Hills South was encouraging people to vote Liberal at a polling station.

CBC News has asked Elections Canada to comment on this incident as well.

NDP campaign spokesperson Anne McGrath said the party has full confidence in Elections Canada and its mandate to ensure the integrity of the democratic process.

"It's essential that all voters can cast their ballot free from interference, and any concerns must be taken seriously and addressed swiftly," McGrath said in an email.

Green Party of Canada spokesperson Rod Leggett said the situation in King-Vaughan needs to be further investigated and called for both Elections Canada and parliamentarians to work together to more effective screening protocols in place for election workers.

"In an age when liberal democracies are being attacked, we must be extra vigilant in securing the integrity of the vote."