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A B.C. Conservative candidate has been dropped after he was accused of posting offensive remarks on social media.
The party says Jordan McIntosh is no longer its candidate for Vancouver-Strathcona and that if elected, he will not sit in caucus.
The Conservatives announced his removal from the slate less than an hour after Callista Ryan, the NDP’s candidate for Vancouver-Quilchena, posted screenshots on social media platform X, showing what she said were McIntosh’s posts.
“Looks like Lorne Doerkson’s candidate in Strathcona Jordan McIntosh thought he could use a nameless twitter account to say many awful, offensive things,” Ryan said.
A post under the account @DeathNight771 made claims that Hitler didn’t “specifically” hate Jews and that the Holocaust may not have been “the goal.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says they’re glad the B.C. Conservatives acted quickly to remove McIntosh as a candidate.
Nico Slobinsky, the group’s vice-president Pacific region, said on social media that the posts were “reprehensible and harmed our community by distorting the history of the Holocaust.”
“Accountability matters for all seeking elected office,” he said.
Ryan said the latest incident raises concerns about the Conservatives’ vetting process.
“I see these comments as hateful, and that’s something we absolutely have to call out and address.”
McIntosh is a university student working toward a BA in geological engineering, according to his biography, which has since been removed from the party’s website. His LinkedIn page says he attends the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
A party spokesperson speaking on background says McIntosh was informed he was no longer a candidate shortly after Ryan’s social media post. McIntosh is 18 years old and the party says it appears the posts were made when he was 15.
CBC News called a number listed as McIntosh’s campaign number but it was not in service. It’s unclear if McIntosh will run as an Independent.
The Vancouver-Strathcona riding was previously held by Joan Phillip, who died on Aug. 28.
Amanda Burrows, who has served as director for First United in the Downtown Eastside, is the NDP’s candidate in that riding. It’s considered one of the safest NDP seats in the province.
This is the second time the B.C. Conservatives have dropped a candidate over offensive social media posts.
Last week, the party fired Joachim Agou in light of social media posts targeting Palestinians and Pakistanis that came to light.
WATCH | B.C. Conservative Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate dropped after offensive posts:
B.C. Conservative Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate dropped after offensive posts
Joachim Agou was running for the Conservatives in the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding before the B.C. NDP highlighted some of his past offensive social media posts.
Doerkson has also faced calls from the Unified Muslim Associations of B.C. to drop Katy Merrifield as the party’s campaign director over anti-Islam posts.
Merrifield posted on X in June in response to a U.K. inquiry about child sexual exploitation: “F–k Islam. Defend Western civilization.” The post was later removed.
During Wednesday night’s B.C. leaders’ debate, Doerkson defended Merrifield, saying she is a sexual assault survivor who made the comments out of anger. Doerkson said she has since apologized and he will not remove her.
Doerkson hit back by accusing Eby of failing to stand up to antisemitism within the NDP, which led to the departure of former cabinet minister Selina Robinson.
The party did not make Doerkson available for an interview about McIntosh’s removal or the party’s vetting process.