Breaking news: Move over, Oily!

As reported by Inkless just moments ago, the tiny Tories have hit the streets in support of the Conservative government’s firm action on climate change to handOily the Splot.

Clad in garish yellow t-shirts emblazoned with the now iconic Shrugging Dion, they’re hitting the streets of downtown Ottawa, handing out postcards that warn against the "permanent new carbon tax", and demanding to know if passersby will be "tricked into paying more."

Forewarned by Wells, I ran into my first pair of Carbonteers outside Chapters on Sussex. Grabbing my camera, I took a quick shot, accepted a card, and explained that I was with macleans.ca. Could I have their names?

Meaningful look exchanged between the two. "I don’t know if we’re allowed to do that," said the female.

I asked if they were here as volunteers, or being paid, and they assured me they were volunteers, but they decided that they’d rather keep that information to themselves. "So, you’re unnamed Conservatives?" I asked. Yeah, stick with that, they told me.

Less than a block away, I came across another dynamic duo, and decided to skip the pleasantries and go straight to what was apparently an unfathomably un-understandable request.

"I write for Maclean’s. Can I have your names?" I asked the more enthusiastically pedestrian-accosting of the two.

His response: "Will you be tricked?"

At this point the following exchange (reported as verbatim as my memory allows) took place:

macleans.ca: Can I have your name?

Him: Will you be tricked?

macleans.ca: Can I have your name?

Him: Will you be tricked?

macleans.ca: Is that the only thing you can say?

Him: Tricked will you be?

macleans.ca: Name can I have?

Him: No.

macleans.ca: [...]

Him: Will you be tricked?

At that point, I gave up. (Oh, and I also decided against posting the photo of the first pair, since they apparently don’t want to be publicly associated with the campaign.)

Back to you, Wells.