Conservatives drop another candidate as federal election campaign continues

OTTAWA — Just two weeks into the federal election campaign, another candidate has been dropped from the race.

The Conservative party says Don Patel, who was running in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North, is no longer a candidate after engaging with a social media comment suggesting that some people should be deported to India.

A Conservative campaign spokesperson says endorsing such a statement is “clearly unacceptable” and the party “will always stand up for the safety and security of Canadians.”

Controversial statements from the past came back to haunt two major parties on the campaign trail with the Liberals and Conservatives dropping candidates.

The Conservatives have also dropped Mark McKenzie, who joked that former prime minister Justin Trudeau should be executed; Stefan Marquis, whose online posts included claims that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was provoked by the expansion of NATO; and Lourence Singh, who was dropped without a reason being provided publicly.

Liberal incumbent Paul Chiang bowed out of the campaign late Monday after suggesting that another candidate could be turned over to Chinese officials in exchange for a bounty.

The Liberals also recently dropped Thomas Keeper in Calgary-Confederation as the party said he failed to disclose a stayed domestic assault charge from 2005.

Prior to the writ being dropped, the Liberals also announced Nepean MP Chandra Arya wouldn’t be permitted to run for the seat again.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is now the party’s candidate for the seat.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press