Nepean Conservative candidate, Barbara Bal, has filed a police report with Ottawa authorities, accusing Liberal campaign workers of stealing and destroying hundreds of her election signs. The incident has raised concerns about the integrity of the election process in the Ottawa-area riding.

In a public statement shared online, Bal alleges that Liberal Party workers not only removed her signs but also used the stakes marked for her campaign to display signs for Liberal leader Mark Carney. She claims this practice undermines democracy and seeks to disrupt the democratic process.

Bal presented video evidence showing one of her sign posts, marked with blue paint and the letters “NCA” (Nepean Conservative Association), bearing a Carney sign. She criticized the action, stating, “Pulling down and stealing hundreds of my signs, placing my opponent’s signs on my wooden stakes, and dumping mine in the garbage is not the practice of democracy; it is a deliberate attempt to silence a voice.”

The Nepean Conservative candidate went on to add, “This is unacceptable, and unethical. Nepean deserves better.”

Despite reaching out for comment, neither the Carney campaign nor the president of the Nepean Federal Liberal Association responded to the allegations on Friday.

Bal, an Ottawa police staff sergeant, has faced an unexpected and high-profile challenge in the form of Carney, the Liberal Party leader contesting his first-ever election in Nepean. Originally, Bal had prepared to contest the seat against Liberal MP Chandra Arya, who has won the past three elections in the area. However, Arya’s candidacy was revoked by the Liberal Party just days before Carney called a federal election.

No official explanation was provided for Arya’s disqualification, although reports have suggested it may be linked to his ties to India.