Conservative riding association posts fake meme of Rick Mercer endorsing party
Mercer isn't endorsing anyone, but he is getting a chuckle out of it
A Facebook post by a Conservative riding association in British Columbia spreading disinformation about Canadian comedian Rick Mercer has been removed.
The meme took an authentic Mercer quote about the importance of voting, but changed the final part of the quote from "Vote" to "Vote Conservative."
If the intent of the post was to trick people into believing Mercer was rooting for the party's candidate in Burnaby North—Seymour, it might have worked on some voters. But if the goal was to make Mercer laugh, it definitely worked.
"It's completely bizarre," he told CBC News on Tuesday evening. "I'm not angry. I was more amused than anything."
Mercer took to Twitter to ask the party to remove the post. As of Tuesday evening, it was no longer showing on the Burnaby North Seymour Conservative Constituency Association page.
Before it was deleted, the caption on the post said "wise words."
Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewScheer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewScheer</a> & good folks at <a href="https://twitter.com/CPC_HQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cpc_hq</a> - Your candidate in Burnaby North Seymour is distributing a Meme on social media with my face and the words "Vote Conservative" indicating it is a quote from me. Not true. All fake. Please Stop. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhoAreThesePeople?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhoAreThesePeople</a>? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cdnpoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cdnpoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yuck?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yuck</a>
—@rickmercerMercer said he was alerted to it by some friends and other people on social media who spotted the dishonesty in the quote.
"I was always careful not to say, you know, which party you should vote for. I would never do that," Mercer said in an interview. "It's weird that people will think in this day and age that you can get away with that."
In a federal campaign where people have gotten in trouble for far more controversial social media posts, Mercer said he's not upset about it and he doesn't expect a response from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, or anyone else for that matter.
I don't know what I'd be doing weighing into the local politics in Burnaby.- Rick Mercer
He's just left scratching his head about who thought it would be a good idea to manipulate his quote.
"There's a lot of very odd people running in this election for all the parties. I mean that's what you've gotta ask yourself, like what kind of person does that? It's just a very strange thing to do."
It's especially strange given the fact he's from St. John's, on the opposite end of the country.
"I don't know what I'd be doing weighing into the local politics in Burnaby, British Columbia."
Heather Leung is the Conservative candidate for the riding. She's going up against Liberal Terry Beech, the Green Party's Amita Kuttner, New Democrat Svend Robinson and People's Party of Canada candidate Rocky Dong.
With files from Chris O'Neill-Yates