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Photo by Brett Alexander

“If we can increase the voting rate, as the only Chinese candidate in this riding, if I can garner 16,000 votes I will easily win the byelection, control the election race and make history! My opponent in this byelection is the NDP candidate Singh of Indian descent!” she said, according to the newspaper’s translation.

She said in her statement Wednesday that she has decided to step aside after speaking with her supporters.

“I believe in the progress that (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau and the Liberal team are making for British Columbians and all Canadians, and I do not wish for any of my comments to be a distraction in that work,” she said.

In a statement before Wang dropped out, Singh said he intends to represent everyone in the riding regardless of their background.

“We believe everyone brings something to the table and as a community we are better for it,” he said.

“While there are real differences in people’s experiences, I have dedicated much of my work over the years to find the common threads that unite us all. My mother taught me we are all connected and every day I try to live by her words.”

The Liberal Party of Canada said Wang’s online comments are not aligned with the party’s values and it has accepted her resignation. Trudeau and the party have always stood for the full and equal participation of all Canadians in democracy, it said.

“The Liberal Party has a clear commitment to positive politics and support for Canadian diversity, and the same is always expected of our candidates,” it said in a statement.