Premier Doug Ford is standing by his decision to be photographed with a far-right Toronto mayoral candidate and her supporters.

Asked twice by the NDP in the legislature Monday to denounce Faith Goldy and the picture taken at the annual Ford Fest barbecue in Vaughan on Saturday night, Ford did not.

“If (the NDP) were at Ford Fest — it’s the most diverse group anywhere in Canada — anywhere — of every race, of every creed, of every colour, of every religion and every political stripe. There’s no group in the entire country that represents Toronto and Ontario more than Ford Nation does,” the premier said, accusing the NDP of sinking to a “new low.”

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“I can’t help when thousands of people are coming at you and they’re taking pictures right, left and centre.”

Ford did not receive a standing ovation from PC MPPs following his remarks in the legislature, as he typically does from his enthusiastic benches, and their applause was sparse. A few Tory MPPs looked visibly uncomfortable with the premier’s response.

Later, the premier’s office said, “as he said during question period, the premier denounces all forms of hate, regardless of who says it” — a comment Ford made later in the debate when asked about the future of the anti-racism directorate.

Goldy, who was trending on Twitter after crashing a mayoral debate Monday morning, posted a number of photos from Ford Fest, saying it was the sixth she’s attended.

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She was fired by Rebel Media last year after she went to Charlottesville, Virginia to cover the Unite The Right rally. Goldy also appeared on The Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi website.

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In an email to the Star, she said she’s the only mayoral candidate who “stands shoulder to shoulder with Premier Ford! Rather than working against him, I’m going to work with him.”

New Democrat MPP Jill Andrew (Toronto-St. Paul’s) said Goldy “has clearly used this photo with the premier to claim ... legitimacy.”

A spokesperson for Ford said the premier is “not endorsing any candidate in the mayoral election.”

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark told reporters, “I think we need to denounce things like that just across the board.”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said “there’s a time when a premier, when a leader is supposed to rise above everything and be pretty clear about certain things ... He did not do that, and it’s very, very disturbing.”

“She is a very, very dangerous person in our society,” said former Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne. “Her ideas, her actions are dangerous. I was surprised he didn’t just stand up and say: ‘I want nothing to do with this person.’”

Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims said “if Premier Ford truly wishes to create a ‘government for the people,’ then he must categorically reject the hateful and divisive ideas of those, like Ms. Goldy.”

On Twitter, Goldy said she has “publicly called for a re-routing of immigration to traditional source countries (ie Europe), for a Canada that returns to pre state Multiculturalism demographics (96% euro Canadian). Nothing to be ashamed of! Discussing pre policy of multiculturalism demographics (facts), again, does not a supremacist make. Sorry, cats — there’s no bogie man here.”