Conservative candidate steps down after 'discriminatory' social media posts found

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Ben Cousins CTVNews.ca Writer

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TORONTO - A federal Conservative candidate in Manitoba is stepping down after social media posts described as “discriminatory” came to light.

The party said Thursday evening that Cameron Ogilvie, a candidate in the riding of Winnipeg North, stepped down after the Conservatives became aware of the now-deleted posts.

“Ogilvie’s online comments are not aligned with the values of the Conservative Party of Canada,” said Conservative campaign spokesperson Brock Harrison in a statement.

“Andrew Scheer has been clear, the notion that one's race or sexual orientation would make them in any way superior to anybody else, is absolutely repugnant. If someone disagrees with that, there is no room for them in the Conservative Party of Canada.”

It is not immediately clear what exactly is said in the posts. The party said Ogilvie deleted them during the candidate vetting process earlier this year.

Ogilvie declined a request for comment. The party said a new candidate will be named at a later date.

Ogilvie is the fourth federal candidate to be taken off the ballot since the election was called on Wednesday.

The NDP lost two candidates on Wednesday. Olivier Mathieu, the NDP candidate for the Montreal-area riding of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, resigned following an accusation of domestic abuse, which he denies. Dock Currie, a candidate in the British Columbia riding of Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, resigned due to comments on social media directed at pro-pipeline protestors.

The Green Party accepted the resignation of Simcoe North Candidate Erik Schomann earlier Thursday after an Islamophobic Facebook post emerged.

RELATED IMAGES The Conservative Party of Canada logo is seen in this file image.