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Canada federal polls: Punjab-origin candidate apologises for homophobic comments
An Indo-Canadian candidate running for a place in the House of Commons is under pressure over a social media post a decade back that included a homophobic slur.
An Indo-Canadian candidate running for a place in the House of Commons is under pressure over a social media post a decade back that included a homophobic slur.
Arpan Khanna, in his late 20s and among the youngest candidates heading into the 2019 federal elections in Canada on October 21, “apologised equivocally” for that Facebook post, and later told the Hindustan Times that he plans on continuing to contest for the Conservative Party from the Brampton North riding (as constituencies are called in Canada).
Khanna’s post dates back to 2010 when he was still a teenager and contains the derogatory term for homosexuals “fag”. In a statement, Khanna said: “I deeply regret the offensive language I used when I was a teenager. I have come to understand that creating safer and more inclusive spaces LGBTQ+ people in Canada happens in our homes, workplaces, on social media, and in the conversations we have every day. I apologise unequivocally.”
Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer later joined Khanna at a rally in Brampton amid speculation that he may cancel the event after the controversy erupted a few hours earlier. Khanna said Scheer visited his campaign office and gave a “great” speech to rally party supporters at a well-attended event. Scheer hugged Khanna on the stage before he spoke and the candidate later posted: “Blessed and humbled by the hundreds that came out to support our campaign today.”
Khanna, who grew up in Brampton but has roots in Punjab, was part of Scheer’s group when the opposition leader travelled to India last year, a visit that included a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Liberal Party MP Ruby Sahota attacked Scheer over campaigning with Khanna, as she tweeted: “Tonight, @andrewscheer is door-knocking with another candidate who thinks hateful words have a place in (Canada). Scheer promised to show the door to any intolerant Conservative. Will he?” Sahota is the incumbent MP from Brampton North and Khanna her principal challenger.
Three significant candidates, one each from the Liberal, Conservative and Green parties, have already had to drop out of the race after the emergence of their intemperate comments in the past on social media.
