TORONTO – Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty moved Wednesday to quell a controversy over an offensive tweet by one of his newest cabinet ministers.
McGuinty told reporters Wednesday morning it was time to put the issue to rest and get on to more meaningful work.
"I think we’re going a little bit too far when we begin to parse an apology," he said. "I thought it was very sincere. I thought it was very earnest. It was a full admission that he had made a mistake. He offered an apology."
Over the weekend, Glen Murray, the openly gay former Winnipeg mayor, said Torontonians who voted for mayoral candidate Rob Ford were "voting for bigotry."
The remark stemmed from a homophobic pro-Ford radio ad aired by a Tamil broadcaster. Ford, who won the election, condemned the ad.
Murray, who is research and innovation minister in McGuinty’s cabinet, subsequently tied provincial Conservative leader Tim Hudak and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the ad.
He apologized for his comments Tuesday, but only after challenging Hudak "to root out any of those working in his ranks who would try to exploit hatred with smear tactics."
Hudak said that apology was insufficient.
McGuinty said he’s forgiven Murray.
"Politics can be rough and tumble," he said. "Sometimes you can get carried away. You can cross the line. You can say something that in hindsight you regret. I think this is one of those cases."
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