Eastern Ontario Green Party candidate withdraws night before election following 'unacceptable' comments
The Green Party riding association for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke says their candidate, Michael Lariviere, has withdrawn his candidacy following comments at a local debate.
Lariviere compared proof of vaccination systems to Nazi Germany during the debate on Sept. 14.
"I don't want to have to walk around with a passport," he said in response to a question asking whether candidates support the efforts to encourage vaccinations against COVID-19.
"The way I look at it is, the Gestapo and the German military during the Second World War wanted people to be tattooed and this is the next—the beginning of that step."
In a Facebook post late Sunday night, the riding association apologized for Lariviere's comments.
"It was recently brought to our attention that Green Party candidate Michael Lariviere made unacceptable comments at an all candidates’ debate last week," the post says. "We deeply regret Mr. La Riviere’s (sic) offensive statements and apologize sincerely for the distress his words have caused. Mr. Lariviere has now withdrawn his candidacy."
In a reply to a comment on the Facebook post, the party said Lariviere "made offensive and untrue comments during the campaign that bordered on hate speech" and apologized for any distress.
The post came just under 12 hours before polls opened on Election Day. Lariviere's name will remain on the ballot because it is well past the official withdrawal date.
John Epps, the CEO of the Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke Green Party Association told CTVNewsOttawa.ca by phone that Lariviere was contacted by the party when his comments came to light, but he refused to retract them or apologize.
"There is no room in the Green Party of Canada for this kind of behaviour," Epps said. "I, as his delegate, apologize to our supporters for any discomfort this may have caused."
Epps is the individual who answered the phone number listed on Elections Canada's website for Lariviere.
Lariviere did not appear on the Green Party of Canada's website as a candidate on Monday.
Other candidates running in the riding include:
- Conservative Party: Cheryl Gallant (incumbent)
- Liberal Party: Cyndi Mills
- NDP: Jodie Primeau
- People's Party of Canada: David Ainsworth
- Independent: Stefan Klietsch
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.