Calgary-McCall door-knocking turns ugly for northeast couple
A northeast Calgary couple says a door-knocking campaign volunteer for the PC party shouted at them, used foul language and behaved in a way they found threatening.
Chris St. Charles and Alia Al-Yafi were seated at their kitchen table Sunday evening around 8 p.m. with their three young children when the doorbell rang.
St. Charles answered the door to a female campaign volunteer for PC candidate Jagdeep Sahota. He declined a conversation about the candidate and closed the door.
About 15 seconds later, the doorbell rang a second time and a male volunteer was at the door.
"I was a little bit irritated," says St. Charles. "Saying something like, 'What part of no do you guys not understand?'"
Called 911
At that point St. Charles says the volunteer swore at him, moving toward him.
"[It] looked like he wanted to create a physical altercation of some kind," he said.
Al-Yafi then put herself between her husband and the volunteer, hoping to stop things from getting physical.
"I was hoping he would not hit a woman," she said.
Two other volunteers then came to the door to pull their fellow door-knocker away from the house, apologizing for his behaviour. Once the door knockers had left, St.Charles called 911.
A neighbour two doors down, Salima Panchan, heard the commotion, and also had a negative experience with the same group of door-knockers.
"They were just a very loud and obnoxious group," she said.
"Having that happen... they're not getting our vote. That's not how you do it."
Calgary police confirm a police vehicle was dispatched to the Saddle Ridge neighbourhood, but the canvassers were not found. PC candidate Jagdeep Sahota has not responded to CBC's requests for comment.
