(Ottawa) The New Democrats want to know if the Conservatives are behind a pro-Poilievre campaign of computer robots (bots) that was deployed a few days ago on the X platform.
A few days ago, after a rally by the Conservative leader in northern Ontario, similar messages published from accounts supposedly created abroad proliferated on the social network.
“I’m coming back from Pierre Poilievre’s rally in Kirkland Lake and I can still feel the excitement,” read among other things these almost identical messages collected by a user of the X platform.
These praises come from accounts claiming to come from countries such as Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and even the United States.
Expressing concern, New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh asked his Conservative opponent to give the truth.
“I think it raises questions for Pierre Poilievre, and he has to answer: was it the Conservative Party that did it?” he said at a press briefing in Yellowknife on Tuesday.
If the maneuver does not come from the conservative camp, an investigation is necessary, insisted Jagmeet Singh.
And to shed light on this matter, he intends to bring the matter to the attention of Elections Canada and the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
A “conspiracy theory”
Asked about this during a press briefing in Ottawa, Conservative Luc Berthold called it a “conspiracy theory.” He also argued that his leader did not need such a campaign to boost his popularity.
“Wherever he goes, we don’t need robots to attract crowds. Pierre Poilievre is enough to attract people to his rallies,” he argued.
The fight promises to be tight between the New Democrats and the Conservatives in the northern Ontario ridings.