Candidate Apologizes, But Party Says Remarks Are “Unacceptable”
The Ontario Liberal Party has suspended Viresh Bansal, its candidate for Oshawa in the upcoming provincial election, following backlash over a past social media post.
The decision comes after Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie publicly condemned Bansal’s remarks, which resurfaced this week.
In 2023, Bansal had responded to an NDP statement regarding the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that Canada had “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the fatal shooting in British Columbia.
Bansal’s post, which has since been deleted, read:
“You can thank India for cleaning trash people. Ask your gay friend @JustinTrudeau to do the same.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada swiftly condemned the comment and called on Crombie to remove Bansal as a candidate.
On Tuesday, Bansal issued a public apology, acknowledging that his words were inappropriate.
“I want to sincerely apologize, especially to the Sikh and LGBTQ2S+ communities,” he wrote in a post that has since been deleted. “My words were offensive and wrong, and I take full responsibility for the harm they caused.”
However, the apology was not enough to prevent party action.
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie firmly rejected Bansal’s remarks, stating that they did not align with the values of the party.
“He managed to offend two beloved groups in one tweet, and this is completely unacceptable,” Crombie said Tuesday. “It is not who I am. I don’t stand for this. It is not who the Ontario Liberal Party is.”
With Bansal’s campaign suspended, the Ontario Liberal Party is expected to announce its next steps for the Oshawa riding in the coming days.