The Ontario Liberal Party said Thursday that it has eliminated Alec Mazurek as a candidate in the Chatham-Kent-Leamington provincial election following claims that he used a homophobic slur multiple times on social media.
Mazurek, 23, later said on Facebook that the comments were made when he was 15 years old. They came to light when they were shared by the NDP, and appear to have been published by Mazurek eight years ago.
It is the third time in a week that the Liberals have dropped a candidate.
Liberal leader Steven Del Duca was asked about Mazurek’s online posts on Thursday, which is also the deadline for candidate nominations for the June 2 election.
“I think it’s really important for leaders to take decisive action when candidate behavior that is irresponsible, reckless, which is not what we stand for, is dealt with in the most decisive way possible,” Del Duca said. “So I’ll take a look immediately after this event, and if that’s the case, he won’t be a candidate for us anymore.”
Shortly after, Del Duca’s press secretary said in a statement that Mazurek “has been officially fired” and will not represent the Liberals on June 2.
Mazurek’s Facebook posts that were brought to light by the NDP appear to show him using the F-word known as a homophobic slur.
In a statement on his current Facebook page, Mazurek said the comments “were unacceptable then and unacceptable now, and do not reflect the values I hold and stand for today.”
“All Ontarians deserve to have a safe community around them, and comments like these make it harder to earn that trust. I unequivocally apologize for any harm caused and will continue to learn from past mistakes.”
Mazurek initially indicated that the comments were made when he was 13 years old, but later updated his post to reflect that he would have been 15 at the time.
Saying the comments in question are nearly a decade old, he added: “To put it in context, I was just starting high school. This is not an excuse to downplay why this is an issue, but I’d also like to make clear that we are holding a child to the same standards as the adult writing this statement today.”
Mazurek told the CBC that he is not seeking to continue his campaign independently and that his name will not be on the ballot on June 2.
Mazurek’s ouster came a day after the Liberals eliminated a Parry Sound-Muskoka candidate, following media reports describing a self-published book detailing scientifically unsubstantiated views on homosexuality.
The day before, the Liberals abandoned their candidate in Sault Ste. Maria. after a media report said the teenager engaged in online discussions in which people joked about “dying of AIDS.” The high school student told local media that he did not make those comments.
Windsor Pride Community board chief reacts
Colm Holmes, chairman of the Windsor Pride Community board, said he was surprised a vetted candidate had used such language, but supports the party’s decision to eliminate Mazurek as a candidate.
“Obviously the word carries a lot of weight in our community and is constantly used as a weapon to harm our community,” he said.
As for whether it matters whether the comments were years old or made when someone was younger, Holmes, who spoke to the CBC before Mazurek’s apology, said everyone goes through a maturation period, and the issue is more how it came out. the light that harmful language was used, the intent and impact, and whether there is remorse.
“Did they come forward and say that and put together some things that they’ve been working on with themselves, with working with the community? Have they done anything or is it just somebody looking at their social media profile and finding out something that they were dealing with? to keep hidden? he said.
Liberals aim to run full ticket
The deadline for candidate nominations is Thursday at 2 pm ET, but Del Duca said he would still try to run with a full ballot.
The party said it would have an update on its list of candidates soon.
Del Duca did not comment on how the Liberals vetted their candidates, but said he sees it as an ongoing effort.
“From my perspective, the investigative process never stops,” he said.
“We constantly make sure that we are in contact with our candidates, that we are aware as best we can of what is going on and what is going on.”
Reference-www.cbc.ca