Former Alberta NDP candidate suspended by employer after calling Fort McMurray fire ‘karmic’

UPDATE: Friday, May 6 at 10:50 p.m.: The Town of Taber Council unanimously approved a resolution to suspend Moffat indefinitely pending an investigation into comments he made on social media.

LETHBRIDGE – A former NDP candidate is under fire for a tweet he made suggesting the Fort McMurray wildfire was karma.

Tom Moffatt tweeted out Tuesday evening that the current state of the oil and gas town is no coincidence, calling it “Karmic #climatechange”. He also used the hashtag #FeelTheBern in the post.

READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire: Alberta government declares provincial state of emergency

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Many on social media were outraged by Moffat’s comment, as they felt he was being insensitive to the emergency situation going on in Fort McMurray.

READ MORE: ‘It’s like Armageddon here’: Fort McMurray resident who stayed in town during fire describes city

Moffatt, who ran as a provincial NDP candidate in Lethbridge-East, said his comments were taken out of context.

“That wasn’t my intent when I said karmic, I was thinking of a bigger type of spiritual event, sort of a planet-wide karma, not an individual blame of people,” he explained.

“I did get the impression that I was seeing something karmic going on, because the largest polluting area in Canada is being affected by the largest climate change event in Canada’s history.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I did get the impression that I was seeing something karmic going on, because the largest polluting area in Canada is being affected by the largest climate change event in Canada's history."

He said in no way did he wish any harm or bad will on the people of Fort McMurray, who are in a state of emergency.

READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire: Evacuees staying in work camps, homes and temporary shelters around Alberta

Moffat ran in the 2008 and 2012 Alberta election for the Lethbridge-East riding, but was never officially elected. He remains a member of the NDP.

READ MORE: Fort McMurray fire forces temporary closure of Shell oilsands project

4:07 Fort McMurray wildfire: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley discusses state of emergency

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• ‘We are here, we are strong: regional fire chief gives emotional update on Fort McMurray wildfire
• Powerful video captures resident’s escape from Fort McMurray wildfire
• ‘It’s like Armageddon’: Fort McMurray resident who stayed describes torched city
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• Fort McMurray remains under mandatory evacuation; over 80,000 evacuated so far
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• Time-lapse footage captures rapidly-spreading wildfire in Fort McMurray
• Alberta asks for military’s help amid wildfire in Fort McMurray
• Video captures mother comforting 3 kids as they flee Fort McMurray wildfire
• Fort McMurray emergency operations centre evacuated
• Premier Rachel Notley says province is doing everything is can for Fort McMurray
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