B.C. Conservative leader defends candidate screening after third candidate axed

VANCOUVER – B.C. Conservative Leader John Cummins says his party has done the best it could with the resources available to screen candidates, after dropping its third candidate since the campaign began.

The provincial Tories dismissed Mischa Popoff in the Boundary-Similkameen riding over comments he made in newspaper columns in the area.

Cummins says some of the comments were insensitive and disrespectful, to women and single mothers in particular.

Earlier this week, the party dropped Ian Tootill from the ballot in Vancouver-False Creek over statements he made on Twitter last fall about Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler.

That was just two days after the Tories announced North Vancouver-Lonsdale candidate Jeff Sprague was stepping down in the midst of an alleged drunk driving investigation.

Cummins says he’s unsure how many of the 85 ridings will have B.C. Conservative candidates. The deadline for nominations is today.