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Toronto police officer accused of racist comment by actor-comedian Andrew Phung

Canadian actor and Calgary native Andrew Phung is featured in a Calgary Economic Development video that focuses on Canada's energy sector. Calgary Economic Development

A comedian and actor says what he saw on the streets of Toronto on Saturday was not representative of the Canada he wants to live in.

Andrew Phung had dropped his family off at Rogers Centre for a Blue Jays game, parked his car nearby and was walking to the stadium when he says he saw a police officer tell a driver to “go back to your country.”

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Phung described the alleged incident, which Toronto police say they’re investigating, in a series of tweets Saturday afternoon and a phone interview Saturday evening.

He says he was waiting to cross the downtown street with a group of about 20 other people when the light changed, and a driver he described as a person of colour hesitated to pull through the intersection.

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Phung says an on-duty police officer shouted at the driver to proceed, which the person did, but as the officer was walking back toward the sidewalk, Phung says the cop said, “If you can’t drive, go back to your country.”

A spokesman for Toronto police says the force spent the evening gathering information so they can investigate what happened.

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