Former Conservative executive Dion Ahwai has been charged with data misconduct related to an investigation into the alleged theft of material from Erin O’Toole’s Zoom account during the 2020 leadership race, the RCMP announced Wednesday. During the pandemic-era contest that elected O’Toole as leader of the federal Conservative party, his team accused rival Peter McKay’s camp of accessing and downloading videos they said contained sensitive strategic information. MacKay’s campaign denied allegations of wrongdoing at the time, and O’Toole’s leadership campaign referred the matter of the alleged data theft to the police. After the allegations surfaced, Greg McLean, a Calgary MP who supported O’Toole, fired a summer student employee in connection with the apparent infraction. But the O’Toole campaign claimed it found several unusual logins to the account, as well as multiple downloads of what it called confidential information. He referred the matter to the RCMP. The national police confirmed to the media at the time that they were investigating the matter jointly with the Toronto Police Service. On Wednesday, the RCMP defined the “data mischief” charge Ahwai faces as having to do with obstructing, interrupting or interfering with the lawful use of computer data, as described in the Criminal Code. He also confirmed that the charge is linked to the allegations from 2020. Two sources with knowledge of the matter said the Mounties told senior members of O’Toole’s former leadership campaign about the allegation on Tuesday. They have been granted anonymity because they fear the professional implications of speaking publicly. Ahwai did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent to his work email address and via Facebook on Wednesday. He is scheduled to appear in Ontario court on Aug. 4, police said. A spokesman for O’Toole, who was ousted as Conservative leader by the caucus in February, said he would not comment because the matter was before the courts. Ahwai, a former House of Commons official, is currently listed as vice-president of digital campaigns at Wellington consultancy Dupont Public Affairs. The firm also employs former MP Brian Storseth, who spearheaded MacKay’s 2020 leadership campaign, as its head. In an emailed statement, Storseth said Ahvai was not working at Wellington Dupont at the time of the alleged data theft and referred questions to the MacKay campaign. Former Rep. Alex Nuttall, McKay’s campaign manager at the time and now a mayoral candidate in Barrie, Ont., did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. According to House of Commons records, Ahwai worked as a parliamentary assistant for Nuttall in 2018. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 13, 2022.
