Liberal, Conservative parties lose candidates over controversies

By Canadian Press on April 1, 2025.

OTTAWA — Controversial statements from the past came back to haunt two major parties on the federal election trail this week with the Liberals losing one candidate and Conservatives saying goodbye to two.

Liberal incumbent Paul Chiang bowed out of the campaign late Monday after suggesting that another candidate could be turned over to Chinese officials in exchange for a bounty, while the Conservatives dropped a nominee who joked that former prime minister Justin Trudeau should be executed, and another whose online posts included claims that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was provoked by the expansion of NATO.

Stefan Marquis, who was running against former Liberal environment minister Steven Guilbeault in the Montreal riding of Laurier — Sainte-Marie, posted on X that he received a call Tuesday morning and was told that “‘certain’ individuals within the party had consulted my recent posts on Twitter-X and deemed these sufficient reason to end our political collaboration.”

“The call lasted less than a minute,” said Marquis. “Consequently, I also requested that the party remove any and all public and internal communications linking me to it.”

Marquis’ social media posts also supported some anti-vaccine rhetoric.

In his post Tuesday, Marquis said the Conservative party chose to “abruptly cut loose a devoted ally willing to operate in a proven complicated political landscape.”

The Canadian Press has reached out to the party for more information on Marquis’ removal.

Before news of Marquis’ ousting broke, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed the party had also parted ways with its candidate in the southern Ontario riding of Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore.

Mark McKenzie, a city councillor in Windsor, was removed by the party after CTV News reported on remarks he made in 2022 on a now-defunct comedy podcast. CTV said McKenzie voiced his support for “public hangings” and included Trudeau’s name on a list of people he felt should receive the death penalty.

“We fired him, he’s gone,” the Conservative leader said as he walked toward his bus after a campaign stop in Petty Harbour, N.L. “Unacceptable. Gone,” he repeated.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s campaign has been distracted in recent days over questions about Chiang, the incumbent MP in Markham — Unionville, and his comment in January that a political opponent could be turned over to Chinese authorities in return for a bounty.

Carney denounced the comments but stood firmly by Chiang for several days. But Chiang announced his exit late Monday, saying he doesn’t “want there to be distractions” as the Liberal leader and other concerned Canadians work to stand up to Trump and protect the economy.

Chiang made the remarks about Conservative candidate Joe Tay three months ago at a press conference with the Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao.

Hong Kong police have offered a reward of HK$1 million, or about C$180,000, for information leading to the arrest of six activists, including Tay, who is running in Toronto’s Don Valley North.

The Toronto Association for Democracy in China said in a news release that Chiang told attendees at a press conference: “To everyone here, you can claim the one-million-dollar bounty if you bring (Tay) to Toronto’s Chinese consulate.”

Chiang apologized on social media Friday, saying the comments were “deplorable” and that he should have known better.

Carney said Chiang’s comments were offensive and a “terrible lapse of judgment” but backed his candidate, calling him a “person of integrity” who had served his community as a police officer.

On Monday evening, the RCMP said in an email that they were “looking into the matter, however no specific details can be provided at this time.”

The parties are all trying to stay focused on the cost of living and the economy, as the prospect of another wave of U.S. tariffs loom over the election.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to slap “reciprocal tariffs” on multiple countries — including Canada — in response to various alleged trade practices.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, campaigning in Edmonton, pledged support for public health care, while Carney visited Winnipeg to highlight measures to help families.

Poilievre promised to enact five recommendations put forward by the country’s energy sector if his party forms government.

In an open letter drafted just before the election campaign, the heads of 14 energy companies called on party leaders to capitalize on increasing public support for expanding the sector in the face of U.S. tariffs.

Carney turned the focus of his campaign to affordability, saying Canadians face the “biggest crisis of our lifetimes” as Trump tries to restructure the U.S. economy and weaken Canada.

He said his government would make life more affordable for Canadians by cutting taxes, building homes and maintaining existing programs for child care and dental care.

Singh said Canada’s health-care system would not be for sale with the New Democrats in charge.

The NDP leader promised to crack down on what he called cash-for-care clinics that charge Canadians for basic services.

Singh pushed back against what he called “American-style health care” in a media statement. “Canadians believe in care over profit, and we’ll always stand up to protect our public health-care system,” he said.

The NDP promises to ban American corporations from buying up Canadian health-care facilities.

— With files from Sarah Ritchie and Craig Lord in Ottawa, Morgan Lowrie in Montreal, Alessia Passafiume in Winnipeg and Sarah Smellie in St. John’s