Manitoba Tory leader denounces racist online comments, but won’t apologize

WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s Opposition leader is denouncing racist comments from the party’s former youth president, but says he will not apologize.

Brian Pallister says online comments last week by Braydon Mazurkiewich (mah-ZURR’-kih-wich) are abhorrent and do not reflect the views of the Progressive Conservative party.

Pallister says the issue has been dealt with because Mazurkiewich was forced to resign within hours of posting comments on Facebook that referred to “freeloading Indians.”

Some aboriginal leaders say Pallister should apologize on behalf of the party, but he says the comments came from only one individual.

Some Tory members are now pushing to have Mazurkiewich stripped of his party membership.

One member of the party’s board of directors has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.