Liberals asked to put stop to dirty tricks
Former aide to Collenette e-mails devil caricature of Alliance leader


Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief
National Post

OTTAWA - Stockwell Day, the Canadian Alliance leader, called on Jean Chrétien yesterday to order Liberal party supporters to end the nasty personal attacks and dirty tricks directed against him.

Mr. Day has been the subject of brown envelopes, anonymous e-mails and other mudslinging as Sunday's election call approaches and public opinion polls show the Alliance is the strongest challenge to the governing Liberals.

The latest Liberal missive against Mr. Day came in an an e-mail sent by David Black, a former aide to David Collenette, the Minister of Transport, that depicts the Alliance leader as a devil with fluorescent horns on the cover of the Alliance's election platform booklet.

David Black is now a consultant with SAMCI, a well-connected Liberal lobbying firm. He forwarded the caricature of Mr. Day to other Liberals, including the executive assistant to Jim Peterson, the junior finance minister, and members of Summa Strategies, a lobbying company owned by Doug Young, a former Liberal Cabinet minister, and Paul Zed, a former Liberal MP.

Mr. Zed will be running against Elsie Wayne, the popular Conservative MP from Saint John, N.B.

"I have been saying for a number of months that the Liberals would become intensely, personally negative," Mr. Day told the National Post yesterday.

"If the Prime Minister is a person of honour, he should send a very direct message to all his MPs [and Liberal campaign workers] that this will be a campaign of respect. Go hard on the issues but stay away from personal attacks."

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