Former Conservative candidate for Burnaby riding says party cut ties over comments about China

A Metro Vancouver electoral candidate has spoken out after being dropped by the federal Conservative Party this week, saying he now knows why.

In a single-line statement released late Tuesday, the party said, “Mr. Lourence Singh will not be a candidate for the Conservative Party.”

The Conservatives provided no public explanation as to why Singh will not run under the party’s banner in the New Westminster-Burnaby-Mailliardville riding.

But in a since-deleted post to social media Wednesday, Singh claimed the party explained he was disallowed based on something he said years ago.

“This decision was based on comments made over four years ago on a friend’s hobby podcast, discussing the Chinese government and China’s economic growth,” Singh wrote.

He says he’s in the process of appealing the decision, asking supporters to sign a change.org petition pleading his case.

Singh is the third of four candidates the Tories have indicated will not be running for them.

Also on Tuesday, it was announced that Mark McKenzie from Ontario’s Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore would no longer be running after a controversial joke from a 2022 podcast surfaced, suggesting that former prime minister Justin Trudeau should face the death penalty.

Earlier in the day, Stefan Marquis from Montréal’s Laurier-Sainte-Marie indicated he is no longer a Conservative candidate after sharing conspiracy theories on social media.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Don Patel, candidate for Etobicoke North in Ontario, is no longer a candidate.

The Liberal Party also lost candidate Paul Chiang in the Toronto area to resignation this week.

He withdrew under pressure Monday after controversial comments suggesting a Conservative candidate should be turned in to the Chinese consulate to collect a bounty.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the Conservative Party of Canada for comment.

—With files from Mike Lloyd and OMNI News.