Chandler steps down from PC board
Controversial activist Craig Chandler has stepped down from the Progressive Conservative party’s board after landing in hot water once again, this time for accusing Earls restaurants on Facebook of supporting terrorism.
Chandler attracted a flurry of criticism both from inside and outside PC ranks on Thursday for the comments, which also linked terrorism to the Islamic concept of halal.
His recent acclamation as a regional director on the Tory board had already caused consternation among some PCs.
Chandler was set to take his position at next week’s party annual general meeting but announced Friday he would resign from the board.
In an interview Friday he said it was the intense reaction to him joining the PC board, more so than the Earls controversy, that caused him to withdraw.
“I don’t want to be the focal point. If we’re talking about rebuilding the party, I don’t want every time Craig Chandler’s mentioned that people are all over it,” said Chandler, who added that he planned to stay involved with the party and seek office — either municipal, provincial or federal — in the future.
He said he was stepping down on his own volition and had not been asked to resign by interim Tory Leader Ric McIver or party executive director Troy Wason.
Chandler’s online comments came in the midst of a debate over Earls’ decision to switch from Alberta beef to a U.S.-based company that supplies “certified humane” meat.
Earls’ Facebook team, responding to a question, said that supplier offers a halal certified product, though the restaurant does not serve it.
Chandler responded by saying “So now Earls supports terrorists as well! Wow!”
Halal means the meat has been slaughtered and prepared in a practice acceptable under Islamic law.
Chandler said Friday he had worded his comments poorly and did not mean to imply that all Muslims are terrorists.
But he maintained that fees paid by companies to ensure they are compliant with halal standards are going to Saudi Arabia and are being used to fund terrorist activities.
“I’m actually sincerely sorry for not clarifying my position on it in more detail,” said Chandler.
“And if there are people who are offended, who think I’m anti-Muslim, I’m sincerely sorry if they felt offended because that’s not what I was trying to say at all.”
Faisal Suri, president of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council, said there is no connection between halal and terrorism. The organization welcomed Chandler’s resignation.
“Stereotyping of any group based on any group should not be tolerated and should be condemned at the highest levels,” said Suri.
McIver, a longtime acquaintance of Chandler, said he had made the right decision by resigning.
“Our party is one where all faiths are welcome and we’re surely aware Muslims have made great contributions to Alberta. ... In the PC party, we want Muslims to be involved, along with all other Albertans,” he said in an interview Friday.
Chandler is no stranger to con- troversy. He was barred by thenpremier Ed Stelmach from running as a Tory candidate in the 2008 provincial election after the Concerned Christian Coalition was rebuked by the Alberta Human Rights Commission over an anti-gay letter.
Chandler was head of the coalition at the time but did not write the letter. He also raised eyebrows in 2007 for saying new Albertans “must adapt to our rules and our (conservative) voting patterns or leave.”
Chandler, who is the executive director of the Progressive Group for Independent Business, became involved with the PC party again over the last few years. He announced he would seek the party’s nomination in Calgary- Shaw ahead of the last election but then withdrew from the race.
Tory MLA Sandra Jansen — an outspoken critic of Chandler — said she was relieved he had stepped aside. She noted that he likely would have faced a challenge to his position over his recent comments in any case, based on the code of conduct governing PC board members.
“People were genuinely concerned about him taking on this role and his behaviour on social media would seem to indicate that he was still saying things that were unacceptable,” said Jansen.