STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.

Wilson-Raybould urges restraint after supportive graffiti at constituency office

Apr 9, 2019 | 6:17 PM

Vancouver police have arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly using several cans of spray paint to express support for former federal attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Officers responded early Monday after slogans such as “let Jody speak,” “Trudeau for treason,” and “make B.C. the best coast again,” were sprayed in huge red or white letters on the windows of Wilson-Raybould’s constituency office.

The messages also covered the sidewalk and busy street in front of the office in her Vancouver Granville riding.

Police say several cans of spray paint have been seized and charges of mischief are being considered.

The slogans were removed from the office windows within hours and a crew using pressure washers worked to clean the graffiti off the sidewalk and street.

Wilson-Raybould posted a message on social media Monday urging supporters to voice their opinions in safe and legal ways.

“While I appreciate people wanting to show their support and enthusiasm as well as express their views, I would encourage them to do so without damaging private or public property or putting themselves in harm’s way. Thank you,” Wilson-Raybould wrote on her Twitter account.

She and fellow member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Jane Philpott were removed from the Liberal party caucus one week ago.  

The ousters followed Wilson-Raybould’s resignation from cabinet in February, shortly after she was shuffled out of the justice portfolio.

Philpott resigned in early March, just weeks after being named Treasury Board president, saying she had “serious concerns” about allegations that Wilson-Raybould had been pressured to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin controversy. (News1130)

The Canadian Press