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CBC's Marg Delahunty hits back at Harper's barbaric cultural practices tip line [VIDEO]

#174 of 220 articles from the Special Report: Canada's 2015 Federal Election Campaign
Mary Walsh returns to stick it to Stephen Harper with her mighty sword. Photo courtesy of Mary Walsh

Warrior Princess Marg Delahunty has surfaced again to take another slash at Stephen Harper and the Conservatives before Monday’s election vote.

In a new video, Delahunty – the boisterous alter-ego of Newfoundland comic Mary Walsh – takes on the barbaric cultural practices snitch line, comparing it to the 1933 Malicious Cultural Practice Act in Germany.

“I’ve already used it!” Delahunty gleefully exclaims of the former tip line.

“I’ve already turned in the crowd next door for barbaric cultural practices. They’re from Bonavista!”

Mary Walsh returns to lampoon the Tories' proposed barbaric cultural practices tip line

The Conservatives' suggestion during the election campaign that a tip line should be set up to turn in neighbors for barbaric cultural practices sparked anger from upset Canadians and drew an outraged letter from 587 Canadian academics.

The academics condemned the “hate-mongering” in the letter, which in part read: “However, by injecting the inflammatory rhetoric of barbaric cultural practices in the current campaign, the Conservative Party has flagrantly crossed the line.”

The letter said the repeated use of the phrase was “cynically calculated to distract and divide citizens.”

In a previous video, Walsh exhorted everyone to “vote anyone but Conservative” in order to give Harper a rest from his relentless “fear-mongering.”

Walsh has also sent up a website, www.margbringschange.ca, where she’ll “bring your two cents to Ottawa.”

For every Facebook share and Twitter retweet of the video, Walsh will match it with a penny. For every virtual cent viewers contribute clicking on a giant penny image on the website, she’ll double it, with all proceeds going to help Syrian refugees.

Walsh, a This Hour Has 22 Minutes founder (with Rick Mercer, Cathy Jones and Greg Thomey), has won 18 Gemini awards. Her Princess Warrior character is beloved for comic ambush interviews with individuals such as Rob Ford and Mike Duffy.

Her video follows those of other celebrities who have come out against Harper, including Blue Rodeo, Grimes, Hey Rosetta! together with Yukon Blonde.

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