Controversial B.C. Liberal prospect Randy Rinaldo withdraws candidacy

A candidate selected by the B.C. Liberals to run in the Burnaby-Lougheed riding for next year's provincial election has withdrawn his candidacy.

Realtor Randy Rinaldo—who was the subject of controversy earlier in May after several tweets he authored appeared to reflect intolerance toward Roma people, impoverished citizens, and unionized public-sector workers—said in a statement on Twitter today (May 27) that the conflict has "become a distraction to my candidacy and family responsibilities.”

The B.C. Liberal party, which claimed earlier that it had been aware of Rinaldo's earlier tweets all along, said in a statement that it has accepted Rinaldo's resignation and would begin to search for a replacement.