Liberals fire candidate over social media slur
Alec Mazurek third candidate to be dropped by party this week
Another one bites the dust.
The Liberals fired a third candidate this week after New Democrats revealed the man used an Fword gay slur on Facebook, raising questions about the vetting process for would-be Liberal MPPs in the June 2 election campaign.
The termination of ChathamKent—Leamington hopeful Alec Mazurek was announced 30 minutes after Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca was caught off-guard by the revelation at a Scarborough news conference on mental-health supports.
“Mr. Mazurek has officially been terminated,” Liberal press secretary Andrea Ernesaks said in a statement.
The firing came as Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced the media for the first time on his education minister’s appearance in a “slave auction” and Tory MPPs who took cash top-ups from their riding associations.
Meanwhile, New Democrats were the subject of a PC complaint about potential election financing violations.
Del Duca had pledged to drop Mazurek if the gay slur revelations were true, and said “irresponsible” and “reckless” comments from candidates would not be tolerated.
“That is not what we stand for,” said Del Duca.
He did not explain how the party’s vetting process missed the social media post in question, but it is often difficult for political parties to find candidates in ridings where they are not traditionally strong and have low odds of winning.
New Democrats released screen grabs of the offending comment, and another using the word “bitches.”
The firing followed Wednesday’s axing of Parry Sound—Muskoka Liberal candidate Barry Stanley, who published a baseless theory on the cause of homosexuality.
On Tuesday, Liberals dumped 18year-old Aidan Kallioinen as their candidate in Sault Ste. Marie. The reason for his dismissal was not disclosed.
In Kitchener, Ford defended PC candidates including Stephen Lecce, his education minister. Lecce has apologized for participating in a fraternity “slave auction” while he was a student at Western University in 2006.
“He’s acknowledged that it was inappropriate and he’s apologized for attending this event as a teenager. Mr. Lecce has been a strong advocate of combating racism in schools and he has my full support,” said Ford.
Ford was far less empathetic when asked about revelations that some Tory MPPs — including Lisa MacLeod, his tourism minister — supplemented their six-figure salaries with riding association funds.
“I’ll be pretty frank, I wasn’t too happy when I when I found out about this,” he fumed in the wake of reports that MacLeod, who earns $165,851, receiving $44,000 from her Nepean PC riding association between 2018 and 2020.
At least seven other Tory MPPs also got payments from their riding associations.
Ford said after the June 2 election, he wants “to sit down with all the parties” and ensure the practice ends.
Also Thursday, Ontario PC party president Brian Patterson sent a letter of complaint to Elections Ontario over two videos related to the NDP on potential campaign financing violations.
The NDP, however, said a video showing the party’s chief financial officer in Kingston and the Islands, David Kerr, was clearly joking when he said donors have to live in Ontario but “supporters who live outside the province in the past have found creative ways to be supportive, and I shall leave it at that.”
In another video, from last year, the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union said ATU would donate $1,000 to University-Rosedale incumbent MPP Jessica Bell — which is not allowed under campaign finance legislation prohibiting corporate or union donations.
“The NDP follows every Elections Ontario rule,” the party’s campaign office said in a statement to the Star. “It seems like Elections Ontario has better things to do than follow up on nuisance complaints from the PC party on what was very obviously lighthearted joking around.”
The campaign also said the donation to Bell was from the union president personally.
The firing follows the axing of candidates Barry Stanley in Parry Sound— Muskoka on Wednesday and Aidan Kallioinen in Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday