Vandals targeted politics over the weekend, hitting Liberal and Conservative supporters in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
In Nova Scotia, a homophobic slur was spray-painted on a number of signs picturing Liberal MP Scott Brison, an openly gay politician.
Rocks were thrown through the windows of two campaign offices in Halifax, one belonging to Liberal candidate Catherine Meade and the other to her Tory rival, Ted Larsen.
In Ontario, the vandalism took a dangerous turn.
People complained about having their car brakes tampered with as well as having their phone and cable lines cut. They also reported their properties were defaced with anti-Liberal slogans.
At least 30 properties in two Toronto ridings were vandalized over the weekend, police reported. All homes had a lawn sign displaying their support for the Liberal party.
The weekend's incidents prompted party Leader Stephane Dion to call on all candidates to condemn the "violent" acts.
"Like all Canadians, I have been stunned by the dozens of reports coming out of Toronto about the hateful and dangerous acts of vandalism against Liberal supporters," Dion said in a news release Monday. "The cutting of brake lines on people's cars is clearly not a simple mischievous act -- it is putting people's lives at risk and raises some very serious questions.
"Everyone -- all Canadians and political parties -- must speak out against what is happening in Toronto. It is an obscene violation of the principles of democracy, where Canadians are entitled to express their political opinions without repercussion," he continued.
Police have stepped up their patrol in midtown Toronto's St. Paul riding and the Parkdale-High Park riding in the west end where the acts of vandalism occurred. Overnight Friday, 11 properties in St. Paul's were vandalized and overnight Saturday, 16 locations in Parkdale-High Park were targeted.
Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, who represents St. Paul's, spent Sunday reaching out to her supporters, warning them of the attacks and helping them clean up the mess to their properties.
She said her campaign's official agent was one of the people targeted.
"(He) went through a stop sign and nearly hit a bus because he did not know that his brake lines had been cut," she said in a note on her blog.
Bennett said a lot of supporters she's spoken with have shown the same defiance. Some have even asked for bigger lawn signs, she said. However, others -- single women and the elderly -- have taken their signs down, she said.
"People are quite shaken," she told 愛污传媒net Sunday evening. "Someone could have been killed -- someone could have died."
This isn't the first time Liberal supporters have been targeted.
Earlier this year, voters living in Willowdale were also victimized leading up to a byelection in March. In August, supporters in Guelph had their property defaced.
