Victoria candidate Cheryl Thomas has become the second Liberal candidate in 48 hours to resign because of controversial comments on social media coming to light.
“I want to take this moment to apologize unreservedly for past comments on social media that have come to light. When looking back at them, I understand that they are offensive and have no place in our political discourse,” she wrote in a Wednesday statement today announcing her resignation.
“I understand that my past comments have become a distraction from the real issues of this campaign. For that reason, I will immediately cease my campaign. This includes closing my campaign office and ending all my political activities.”
READ MORE: 7 social media embarrassments from the campaign trail
Thomas’ statements were uncovered by The True North Times, a satirical website that has exposed controversial statements about several candidates. Their posts had previously led to the resignation of Winnipeg NDP candidate Stefan Jonasson for comparing a practice by one Jewish group to the Taliban.
On Tuesday, the Liberal Party’s candidate in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, Maria Manna, resigned over a Facebook post questioning the origins of the 9-11 attacks.
On Thursday, Jean Chretien said people make mistakes and sometimes say stupid things, but that doesn’t mean they should have to spend the rest of their lives in the penalty box.
“We live in a different world today,” said Chretien. “We have these little machines and sometimes some people use it too much and they make mistakes. So it’s better not to use it.
“I never send an email to anybody, or rarely — my wife once in a while, but I’m not too scared about that,” he said, grinning.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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