NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s bid to get a seat in Parliament got a little easier as his chief Liberal party opponent was forced out after spewing racially divisive vote seeking propaganda on Chinese social media platform WeChat. Karen Wang was forced to quit the Burnaby South byelection race over comments she posted on social media about federal NDP’s first ever Sikh-Canadian and ethnic leader Singh.
BURNABY – NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s bid to get a seat in Parliament got a little easier as his chief Liberal party opponent was forced out after spewing racially divisive vote seeking propaganda on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
Karen Wang was forced to quit the Burnaby South byelection race over comments she posted on social media about federal NDP’s first ever Sikh-Canadian and ethnic leader Singh.
In a WeChat post, Wang wrote that as the only Chinese candidate, she could beat Jagmeet Singh, who she noted is of “Indian descent.” Singh is Sikh, reported Canadian Press.
“Recent online comments by Karen Wang are not aligned with the values of the Liberal Party of Canada,” said a statement from the party.
“The Liberal Party has a clear commitment to positive politics and support for Canadian diversity, and the same is always expected of our candidates.”
In a statement, Wang apologized to Singh and said her choice of words in the social media post were not well considered.
“In trying to speak about my own story and the importance of people of all different backgrounds getting involved in this important byelection, I made comments online that also referenced Jagmeet Singh’s cultural background.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Jan. 9 that byelections for the ridings of York–Simcoe in Ontario, Outremont in Quebec and Burnaby South in B.C. will be held Feb. 25.
Wang, a daycare operator, tried to re-enter the race with a plea that she should be forgiven for her mistake but the Liberal party quickly shot down her request.
