CALGARY — A United Conservative Party candidate in the upcoming Alberta election has resigned following allegations that she made comments about white nationalists online.
Caylan Ford, who was running in Calgary-Mountain View, says in a statement posted to Facebook overnight that she decided to step down to avoid becoming a distraction in the campaign.
The announcement comes after the website PressProgress reported on what it says was a private Facebook conversation from 2017 in which Ford allegedly spoke about the replacement of white people in their homelands and the collapse of Western culture.
Ford says the comments published by PressProgress are distortions and are not reflective of her views.
While we are happy with her choice to resign, we are deeply concerned that she seemed entirely without contrition for her actions, and named the source who was concerned for his own safety @Alberta_UCP. #ableg #abpoli https://t.co/FaCel4ycGI
— AMPAC (@Your_AMPAC) March 19, 2019
PressProgress says on its website that it operates under the Broadbent Institute's mandate and focuses on issues that include social and economic equality and democratic renewal.
Ford's resignation comes after documents leaked on the weekend suggest UCP Leader Jason Kenney's leadership team directed the campaign of fellow candidate Jeff Callaway, as Callaway attacked and criticized Kenney's main rival Brian Jean.