The Ontario Liberals are dropping their candidate in the Chatham-Kent-Leamington riding after comments he made on Facebook several years ago were brought to light.
The NDP uncovered the Facebook comments made by Alec Mazurek in posts from 2014, where he used a homophobic slur on more than one occasion.
“I think it’s really important for leaders to take decisive action when candidate behavior that is irresponsible, that is reckless, that is not what we stand for is dealt with in the most decisive way possible,” said party leader Steven Del Duca, in his initial response to the allegations.
“So I will take a look immediately following this event, and if that is the case, he will no longer be a candidate for us.”
Shortly after, the party confirmed that Mazurek had been terminated and would not be running in the upcoming election on June 2. Thursday is the final day to nominate candidates, and it remains unclear if the Liberals have a representative in every riding.
Mazurek’s Twitter account has been deleted, but his Facebook account remains active.
This is the third candidate dropped by the Liberals in three days. The party dropped a candidate on Wednesday after it was discovered he published a book detailing scientifically baseless views on homosexuality.
A spokeswoman for the party says former Parry Sound-Muskoka candidate Barry Stanley did not disclose the existence of his book to the party’s vetting team.