A federal election candidate in the B.C. riding of New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville says he is appealing a decision by the Conservative Party of Canada to cut ties with him. On Tuesday evening, Singh became the third candidate dropped by the party in a single day. A CPC spokesperson confirmed Singh’s departure as a party candidate in a brief, single sentence statement: “Mr. Lourence Singh will not be a candidate for the Conservative Party.” CTV News left voicemails and sent text messages to Singh throughout the day Wednesday seeking comment on the reasons for his exit from the race. Late Wednesday afternoon, Singh replied via text message – but did not elaborate on the reason for his removal. “During the early afternoon of April 1, I was informed by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) over a 9 minute phone call that I have been disallowed from continuing as the CPC Candidate in New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville. A reason was provided to me,” Singh said in the text. “No further comment as I am working on an appeal to be reinstated. I have submitted a letter to the CPC National Council humbly requesting the Party reconsider its decision and am obtaining support from community members.” It is not clear if the CPC has a process by which Singh, or any other candidate, can appeal a party decision removing them as a candidate. CTV News has reached out to the CPC for clarification. Mark McKenzie from Ontario’s Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore and Stefan Marquis from Montréal’s Laurier-Sainte-Marie are the other two candidates dropped by the Conservatives on Tuesday.
