Canada's Liberals sack candidate over anti-Semitic remarks

Canadian Liberal parliamentary candidate Lesley Hughes was asked to forfeit her place on the party's election roster last week, after being accused of making anti-Semitic remarks, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has reported.  

Hughes, who was a candidate for the party's Winnipeg roster in the central Canadian province of Manitoba, was admonished by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion for an article she wrote six years ago, in which she suggested that the Israeli intelligence services warned the US administration of the coming September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, and that Israeli businesses were told to vacate the towers before the attack.

Hughes has defended her article, saying the article is "very clearly innocent of any kind of anti-Semitic feelings."

The recent news of Hughes' past article caused an uproar within the Jewish community in Canada, as many, including the Canadian branch of the B’nai B’rith association, have demanded she be replaced with a different candidate.

Canada's Liberal Party cannot risk alienating its Jewish voters, prompting party head Dion to release the following statement on Friday: "The Liberal party's commitment to tolerance and multiculturalism is paramount.

"I have reviewed the past comments of Lesley Hughes and it is clear they do not meet this standard. While I appreciate her apology, I cannot condone those sentiments in any way. I have therefore asked Ms. Hughes to step down as the Liberal party candidate in Kildonan-St. Paul," said his statement.

Hughes said in response that she would be running as an independent candidate: "I'm not a willing victim... the democratic process is a factor here. We need to consider how this is playing out in the community," she said.

Hughes later described herself as a "lifelong friend and supporter of the Jewish community in Winnipeg" and apologized for the "perception" that she is anti-Semitic.

The Canadian parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 14.