OTTAWA – A federal Liberal spokesman says the party can and will remove “fraudulent profiles” from its list of electors eligible to vote for its next leader.
Parker Lund’s comment comes after multiple people posted online about creating fake profiles using fake names or their pet names and listing their address as that of the prime minister or the Chinese embassy.
Party leaders are meeting today behind closed doors to hammer out the rules and timeline for the race which was triggered Monday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus aid he would step down.
The Liberals changed the rules years ago to make it easier for people to register as party members and vote in leadership elections, including eliminating all fees.
Some MPs say the party should tighten its rules on who can register as a member, after the foreign-interference inquiry heard about foreigners voting in local nomination races.
Lund says officials will remove fake registrations from the party’s rolls before a vote takes place for the party’s next leader.
“The Liberal Party of Canada is aware of these ridiculous, fraudulent registration attempts,” Lund wrote on X.
“The national party secretary has the ability to remove registrants from our lists, and will be removing these fraudulent profiles well in advance of any leadership vote.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.
