Carney apologizes for staffers who planted buttons at Conservative conference

OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Mark Carney says it was “unacceptable” for his party’s campaign staffers to plant buttons at a conservative conference in Ottawa last week that featured slogans like “Stop the Steal.”

As first reported by CBC News over the weekend, Liberal war room staffers told a reporter they planted the buttons at the Canada Strong and Free conference last week.

Some of the buttons sported the slogan “Stop the Steal” — a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss and subsequent protests — while others showed the crossed-out name of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s campaign manager.

When asked whether the staffers’ actions undermine trust in the Liberal party, Carney called the incident “totally unacceptable,” said he’d been unaware of it and offered an “unreserved” apology.

He said the people responsible have been “reassigned within the campaign.”

Carney’s campaign has largely focused on Trump’s threats to Canada and painting Poilievre as less equipped to deal with the president.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press