Ousted B.C. Liberal says he’ll run as Independent

CHILLIWACK — A candidate who stepped aside as a B.C. Liberal plans to seek election as an Independent.

Laurie Throness says he made the decision to stay in the race after being encouraged to do so by his supporters.

The NDP released a videotape this week in

which Throness said at an all-candidates meeting that a New Democrat promise to provide free contraceptives appears similar to past eugenics plans to stop poor people from having more children.

B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said in a statement on Thursday he spoke with Throness and accepted his offer to resign as the party’s candidate.

In a Facebook post Friday, Throness said he used “an incorrect word” to explain his concerns about the NDP platform proposal to provide free contraception and apologizes.

He says his name is still on the ballot as a B.C. Liberal, but he will inform voters that he will sit as an Independent if elected in Chilliwack-Kent, an area he has represented in the legislature since 2013.