The curious story of not-Conservative candidate Heather Leung
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2019 00:11:02 +0000
The Conservative Party of Canada ousted Heather Leung but the Burnaby North—Seymour candidate, now running “independently,” hasn’t made this entirely clear to voters and will still be listed on ballots as the Conservative candidate for the riding.
On Oct. 4, the party announced that it had dropped Leung after video interviews surfaced in which she made homophobic comments. In a video that appears to be from 2016, Leung said conversion therapy provides hope to those living “the perverted homosexual lifestyle.”
“Recent media reports have brought to light offensive comments made by Ms. Leung saying ‘homosexuals recruit’ children and describing the sexual orientation of the LGBTQ community as ‘perverted’,” the party said.
“There is no tolerance in the Conservative Party for those types of offensive comments.”
But when voters go to the polls on Oct. 21, Leung will still be listed on ballots as the Conservative candidate for the riding. She also continues to use Conservative signs for her campaign and, until Oct. 9, suggested on her website that a vote for her would be a vote for the Conservative Party.
Under electoral law, Leung is, in fact, still considered the Conservative candidate for the riding, according to Elections Canada.
“After the September 30 deadline for nominations, a candidate cannot be nominated, withdraw or change their allegiance,” said Andrea Marantz, a B.C. spokesperson for Elections Canada, in an email.
Voters going into vote will not be warned about Leung’s removal from the party because communication regarding candidates is forbidden at the polls, Marantz said.
On the morning of Oct. 9, the windows of Leung’s campaign office on Hastings St. remained plastered with signs bearing Leung’s name and the Conservative logo.
Morgan Swan, a spokesperson for the Conservative Party, said they have told Leung to stop using the party’s logos, signs and other materials linking her campaign to the party.
“There’s nothing we can do, unfortunately, to take her off the ballot as a Conservative,” Swan said.
Leung recently updated her website to say she is “running independently” but, if elected, “would be prepared to support a Conservative Government on motions of supply or confidence.”
If elected, Leung would not sit in caucus with Conservative MPs, Swan said.
At noon on Oct. 9, a bio on Leung’s website still erroneously suggested that a vote for Leung was a vote for the Conservatives.
“Conservative Party members and supporters, your vote has not been taken away from you by these recent events. Your voice can still be heard,” Leung’s bio says.
“Vote for Heather Leung for Burnaby North—Seymour. Vote for the Conservative Party of Canada for Burnaby North—Seymour. Your vote matters!”
Asked about the bio’s mention of the Conservative Party, Travis Trost, campaign manager for Leung, said that the bio wasn’t clear enough and would be promptly fixed.
“What we’re trying to do is not add to the ambiguity,” Trost said.
Minutes later the line from Leung’s bio saying “Vote for the Conservative Party” had been deleted and replaced with: “Remember when you vote, Conservative will still be next to Heather’s name on the ballot.”
Trost said he also wanted to clarify that Leung is “running independently” and not as “an Independent.” He said this helps explain why Leung’s campaign hasn’t replaced signs affiliating her with the Conservative Party.
“Since she’s listed as a Conservative, that’s one reality on the ballot,” Trost said.
“So if people ask why do we have our signs up, well Heather Leung, Conservative, is actually how they’re going to see her on the ballot. We’re not misleading people when they vote. They’re not going to see Heather Leung, Independent.”
With files from Harrison Mooney
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