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Mark Critch launches Twitter campaign against MP Paul Calandra

Paul Calandra stands in the House of Commons during Question Period on Parliament Hill, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

TORONTO – A former parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper with a reputation for blocking those who criticize him on Twitter is being heckled on the social media platform — though it’s unclear if he’ll see the taunts.

A campaign launched by comedian Mark Critch has prompted hundreds of tweets calling Toronto-area MP Paul Calandra a “tool.”

Critch, best known for his work on the CBC show “This Hour Has 22 Minutes,” says he got the idea when he himself was blocked by the Conservative MP after referring to him on Twitter as a “slippery tool” for evading a reporter’s questions.

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The comedian then tweeted that he’d donated one dollar to Newfoundland and Labrador sexual health for each person that tweets @paulcalandra u are a tool’ — up to 15-hundred dollars.

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Critch says the campaign has “taken on a life of its own” and he doesn’t want to waste time counting the tweets, and so he’ll simply donate the full amount to the Newfoundland chapter of Planned Parenthood.

Calandra, who represents the riding of Oak Ridges-Markham in the Toronto area, could not immediately be reached for comment.

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