A former federal Conservative candidate in British Columbia who was kicked out of the party for homophobic remarks says she鈥檚 now 鈥渞unning independently,鈥 even though her campaign still appeared to be using the Conservative Party logo this week.
Heather Leung, who was running for the Conservatives in Burnaby North-Seymour, was removed from the party last week after past videos of her calling LGBTQ people 鈥減erverted鈥 and suggesting that LGBTQ people 鈥渞ecruit鈥 children re-emerged online.
The Conservatives said at the time that there is 鈥渘o tolerance in the Conservative Party for those types of offensive comments.鈥 But because of Elections Canada deadlines, Leung will still be listed on the ballot as a Conservative candidate.
Three days after the party dropped Leung, Amita Kuttner, the Green Party candidate in the riding that Leung is still using campaign signs with the official Conservative logo.
鈥淎re you really okay with this?鈥 she asked Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer in the tweet. 鈥淧lease remind voters that a vote for Heather Leung is not a vote for the Conservative Party.鈥
In an email, Conservative Party spokesperson Simon Jefferies said Leung 鈥渉as been told she cannot use our party鈥檚 name or logo or represent herself as the Conservative candidate.鈥
In an email to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday, a representative from Leung鈥檚 campaign said they would not be taking down the signs.
鈥淪he is listed as Conservative on the ballot,鈥 the statement reads. 鈥淭he signs show what the voters will see when they make a choice.鈥
, Leung said she is 鈥渞unning independently鈥 even though her name will appear on the ballot next to the Conservative Party.
鈥淚 want everyone to know that you can still vote for me by putting a check-mark by Heather Leung on the ballot even though Conservative appears by my name,鈥 she wrote.
Elections Canada spokesperson Andrea Marantz that Leung will appear on the ballot as a representative for the Conservatives because the deadline for election nominations was last Monday and no one can be added or dropped from a party after the deadline.
"It's an unusual situation," she said.
