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I'm truly sorry that came off as sexist. I would and have said the same thing to men in political discourse. https://t.co/e71BuxELy3 — Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) January 11, 2017

On Wednesday, Rempel said the argument isn’t about either politician but about their shared constituents who are worried they may have to close their businesses amid a redistribution of taxes caused by a vacancy rate never before seen in the downtown.

“This now needs to be about the mayor addressing the concerns of these constituents when, frankly, I think he did the exact opposite (Tuesday),” Rempel said.

“This isn’t about me. This isn’t about him. This is about trying to address a concern of a lot of people in Calgary.”

The mayor was unavailable for comment, but a statement released by his office Wednesday said the mayor “apologized immediately once he heard how his comment had been interpreted.”

“It’s disappointing to see that Ms. Rempel has not accepted the apology and continues to spread misinformation,” it said.

Two Mount Royal University professors said Nenshi’s remarks evoked the words, “math is difficult,” made by then-premier Jim Prentice to NDP Leader Rachel Notley in the 2015 election debate that ignited a firestorm of controversy.

“That was the turning point in the debate with Notley, there was widespread revulsion against that remark,” said political analyst David Taras.

“Many people took that Prentice remark as women don’t understand. Those words are part of Alberta’s political culture and history now.”

Taras said Rempel has emerged as a voice for the city and it’s obvious citizens are turning to her in tough times, and he expressed surprise at Nenshi’s math quip.