The Liberals are dealing with questions on their candidate choice course of for Ontario’s snap election because the Progressive Conservative marketing campaign continues to unearth previous social media feedback made by Liberal candidates.
On Monday, a social media submit surfaced from Viresh Bansal, the Liberal candidate for Oshawa.
“You may thank India for cleansing trash individuals,” he wrote. “Ask your homosexual pal @JustinTrudeau to do the identical.”
The message was in response to a social media submit about the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which Canada has mentioned was linked to the Indian authorities.
Nijjar was a Canadian citizen, temple president and outstanding chief of the Khalistan motion, which seeks independence for India’s Sikh-majority Punjab state.
The Ontario Liberal marketing campaign didn’t remark immediately on the social media submit, as an alternative accusing the PCs of distraction ways.
“Basic Doug,” a spokesperson mentioned. “Something to distract from his failed report in Ontario, the billions wasted on offers to profit his buddies and an energetic RCMP investigation over his Greenbelt giveaway.”
The submit is the newest in a string of social media feedback made by Liberal candidates that the Progressive Conservative marketing campaign has unearthed and shared in current days.
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One candidate within the Ottawa space beforehand posted what seems to be a joke about consent. Individually, a Thunder Bay Liberal candidate wrote a collection of controversial messages, together with defending Invoice Cosby. These posts date again to 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Ontario Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie has backed her candidates.
“The candidate had apologized for the tweets,” Crombie mentioned in North Bay on Friday, referring to the Thunder Bay candidate. “I feel this was a very long time in the past and that he’s an elected official as we speak and he’s apologized.”
The collection of posts the Progressive Conservatives have been capable of finding raises questions on how thorough the Liberal vetting course of was forward of the snap election.
Crombie and her social gathering dedicated early to operating a full slate of candidates throughout the province’s 124 ridings and, forward of the marketing campaign, declared electoral urgency to make it faster to appoint candidates. The transfer allowed the social gathering to expedite nominations in some ridings to make sure it had candidates in each driving earlier than the election.
The Progressive Conservatives mentioned Crombie ought to personally take accountability for her candidates’ previous feedback.
“Regardless of widespread backlash, Crombie refuses to take accountability for her hand-picked candidates and continues to face by them,” the marketing campaign mentioned in a press release. “Bonnie Crombie’s silence and continued assist for these candidates communicate volumes.”
The Liberals haven’t held again in response, circulating a listing of earlier statements Progressive Conservative Celebration Chief Doug Ford has made.
The Liberals have a slate of 123 candidates in Ontario for election day, whereas the Ontario NDP will run the identical quantity. The Greens mentioned they’ve nominated 124 candidates throughout the province.
Election day is Feb. 27.
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