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Ray Fox out as Liberal candidate after Facebook furore

A stunning gaffe on Facebook by candidate Ray Fox means the Liberals are in need of a new candidate in Battlefords-Lloydminster.
ray fox
Battlefords-Lloydminster Liberal association president Jane Shury and Ray Fox at the Liberal nomination meeting in Cut Knife in January.

A stunning gaffe on Facebook by candidate Ray Fox means the Liberals are in need of a new candidate in Battlefords-Lloydminster.

Fox is no longer the federal Liberal candidate in the riding, following an outcry over a post on his personal Facebook page earlier this week.

On his page was posted a photo of a man and a woman holding a black child, with the woman sporting a black eye.

Underneath it, Fox had written, “My sincere condolences to all the Tampa Bay fans … I think I might know how your feeling...”

The post referred to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.  

The post soon made the rounds on social media and the Conservatives quickly pounced.

Prominent federal Conservative advisor Jenni Byrne pointed out the offending Facebook photo on Twitter and promptly unloaded on the Liberals, and in particular their leader.

“.@JustinTrudeau is only as ready as his candidates. This one has some explaining to do! #NotReady #cdnpoli #cpc #lpc”, Byrne’s post stated.

By Friday, Fox had officially withdrawn as a candidate in the race. A statement was issued by Battlefords-Lloydminster Liberal association president Jane Shury about the situation and that is reprinted here in full.

“Earlier this week, a Facebook posting was made on a personal Facebook page. Mr. Fox reposted a photo that he looked at very briefly, without recognizing its implications, and on that evening, he was jubilant about his team having just won the Stanley Cup. This post was seen by very few of his friends and he removed it promptly. 

“Although this was an unintended misstep, given Mr. Fox's strong belief that there needs to be zero-tolerance for abuse, he decided this afternoon to withdraw as a federal candidate. That decision is consistent with his lifetime of work with women’s shelters and community groups that seek to protect women from abuse. 


“It is with significant regret that I have accepted Mr. Fox's resignation. He is and will continue to be an outstanding community leader, and clearly he did not intend to cause any offense.

“Mr. Fox has a strong reputation for his decades of work for the protection of women, and advocating on behalf of murdered and missing women, and plans to continue his advocacy and fundraising work on these important issues as a city councilor and community activist.”

Fox is the fifth Liberal to withdraw as a candidate in the federal election. 

The news leaves the Liberals again in search of a candidate to go up against Conservative agriculture and agri-foods minister Gerry Ritz. The federal election is to be held Oct. 19.