TORY LEADERSHIP CANDIDATE EMBROILED IN ‘BIGOTRY’ ROW
Karahalios takes aim at Muslim campaign aide
OTTAWA • A mass-distributed letter by Conservative leadership candidate Jim Karahalios has sparked outrage in the party over using perceived anti-Muslim rhetoric to attack an Erin O'Toole campaign official, with O'Toole calling it “bigotry” that will lead to “electoral obliteration for our Party.”
Karahalios's letter, which was sent out both in hard copy and electronically, comes with the subject line: “Say NO to Shariah Law. STOP Erin O'Toole.” It targets O'Toole's campaign chair Walied Soliman, a Toronto corporate lawyer who is Muslim.
As his evidence, Karahalios pointed to a 13-yearold newspaper article where Soliman answered questions from investors about Islamic financial products. (The article noted such products have three criteria: no explicit interest; transactions can't be in areas such as gambling, pork or pornography; and can't be deemed too high risk.)
Meanwhile, a race-relations group has written to the party's leadership organizing committee to lodge a complaint about a Facebook post where Karahalios boasted about the reaction to his letter, including screenshots of people calling him a racist on Twitter.
The post showed Karahalios smiling as an angry mob of people comes after him with weapons, with black people featured prominently in the centre. “This image is profoundly insulting and deeply racist,” said the letter from the Toronto-based Urban Alliance on Race Relations, emailed on Tuesday to the organizing committee's co-chairs. The letter called for Karahalios to be disqualified.
Karahalios has since deleted the Facebook post, but his campaign told National Post it was only deleted because “it was hard to read the tweets of who the people were and what they said when they were attacking Jim.”
This all comes as Karahalios says he is getting close to posting the full $300,000 needed to qualify for the final ballot. His campaign says he already submitted the requirements for stage 2 of the process, which requires a $25,000 fee and a $100,000 deposit. However, as of Wednesday night the party has not yet approved Karahalios's status as a stage-2 candidate, despite Karahalios saying on Monday that everything was filed.
It is not clear whether the party is simply verifying Karahalios's materials, or if an investigation is underway. Party spokesperson Cory Hann did not respond to a request for comment.
The reaction to Karahalios's letter about Soliman was widespread over the weekend, with even Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney weighing in on Twitter with support for Soliman.
“Mr. Karahalios's bigotry will result in electoral obliteration for our Party,” said O'Toole in a statement on Wednesday. “For the sake of our Party — and respect for our members — every leadership candidate should join me (and Jason Kenney and Doug Ford) in condemning his disgraceful rhetoric.”
Soliman called it a “nasty email” in his own Twitter post. “It's obvious he wants to get a rise out of me, but to be honest, all I feel towards Mr. Karahalios is pity,” he said.
Asked for comment, the Karahalios campaign responded that they are seen as a threat by other campaigns because they are “less than $100,000 away” from qualifying for the final ballot.
“Red Tories behave like Liberals, when you disagree with them they persecute you,” said a statement.
Karahalios has a large contact list from organizing past campaigns in Ontario, including a petition campaign to stop the Ontario PCs from implementing a carbon tax and a run last year for Ontario PC party president.
Neither O'Toole nor other campaigns are calling for Karahalios to be disqualified. Marilyn Gladu and Leslyn Lewis both declined to weigh in, while Derek Sloan didn't respond to a request.
Peter MacKay, who has frequently been the subject of barbs from O'Toole, said in a statement, “Some candidates have engaged in attacks and are now complaining about similar treatment. It has to stop. I welcome rigorous debate and a clash of ideas but I call on all candidates to be truthful, raise the discourse and refrain from these types of smears.”
Rick Peterson called Soliman “a leader in Canada's Conservative movement,” and said there would be “no place for Mr. Karahalios or his comments in the Conservative Party under my leadership.”
Rudy Husny said Karahalios has “chosen the low road approach.”
In his letter to the organizing committee, Urban Alliance on Race Relations president Nigel Barriffe said Karahalios has been making “deeply offensive comments,” pointing to both the Soliman letter and the Facebook post.
“We call upon the Conservative Party to disqualify him for his racist actions and ask that this matter be dealt with swiftly,” said the letter.