Last week’s increase in candidate purges and the looming surge of attacks
Last week saw the Conservatives drop five candidates over past comments, while three Liberal candidates were dismissed or resigned for the same reason.
If parties discover problematic past comments from candidates and wish to remove them, they must do so before the April 7 deadline, as no replacements can be registered after that date.
After April 7, parties must either drop the candidate and leave the riding vacant or keep the candidate, risking attacks from other parties and negative publicity.
There may also be a surge of attacks against candidates from other parties after the April 7 deadline. Parties may be aware of problematic past comments made by some rival candidates and plan to expose them after the deadline to gain an advantage.
Turfed Liberal Candidates
The first notable departure was incumbent Liberal MP Paul Chiang, who suggested handing his Conservative rival to Chinese officials for a bounty. Liberal Leader Mark Carney condemned Chiang’s remarks, but Chiang ultimately resigned on March 31.
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Shortly before Chiang’s resignation, real estate broker Thomas Keeper was dropped as the Liberal candidate for Calgary Confederation due to a past undisclosed domestic assault charge. The Liberals also dropped Alberta’s Rod Loyola for controversial statements.
Turfed Conservative Candidates
On April 1, the Conservatives removed three candidates including Mark McKenzie, who had joked about the death penalty for Justin Trudeau. Stefan Marquis was dropped for past social media comments, and Lourence Singh was ousted from the B.C. riding.
A day later on April 2, Don Patel was removed for endorsing a social media comment suggesting certain individuals be deported to India. Simon Payette was ousted for comments about a survivor of the École Polytechnique massacre.
Conservative Candidates Under Scrutiny
Conservative candidate Andrew Lawton and documentary filmmaker Aaron Gunn are among those facing media scrutiny. Gunn’s past comments on indigenous issues have sparked controversy.
Gunn defended himself, stating he acknowledges the historic events regarding indigenous issues and stands by his beliefs.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre responded to questions about Bryan Paterson’s past involvement with conversion therapy, stating Paterson renounced the practice years ago.
