Kevin O’Leary campaign behind empty wallet promotion in Toronto

Kevin O’Leary’s Conservative Party leadership campaign is placing empty wallets in Toronto’s public spaces to promote his candidacy and position on a federal carbon tax.

“CARBON TAX = EMPTIER WALLET,” a message on a card tucked inside an empty wallet read.

“Unjustifiable taxes lead to an emptier wallet. Only Kevin O’Leary will reverse the damaging taxes Justin Trudeau has put in place.”

The message encourages tweeting a picture of the wallet using the hashtag #emptywallet and buying a membership before March 28 “so you can vote for Kevin O’Leary in May!”

So far two wallets have been found on the streets of Toronto. One of the wallets was found by an AM640 employee outside of the station’s building Friday.

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READ MORE: Trudeau fields carbon tax questions during Saskatoon visit

Kevin O’Leary’s spokesman Ari Laskin confirmed to Global News that campaign staffers were behind the promotional items. He was unable to say how many wallets were dispersed as part of the campaign.

O’Leary previously promised to eliminate a carbon tax being proposed by the federal government “as fast as I can”.

READ MORE: Kevin O’Leary promises to scrap the carbon tax if elected prime minister

“I’ll put in place a system that’s far more productive in getting innovation and keeping down emissions that does not penalize businesses,” he told Andrew Lawton during an interview on News Talk 770 in January.

“This game being played in Alberta and Ontario is crap.”

READ MORE: Union, taxpayers group, construction association say no to a carbon tax

If the proposal is approved, it would set a Canada-wide carbon price of $10 per tonne in 2018 that would rise to $50 per tonne by 2022.

With files from News Talk 770 and The Canadian Press