B.C. Conservatives drop candidate for comments about women

The B.C. Conservatives have fired another candidate, this timefor his comments about women and single mothers, as the deadline approaches for nominating new candidates.

Yesterday evening, the party announced they were dropping BoundarySimilkameen candidate Mischa Popoff because of comments he made about women and single mothers in local newspaper columns.

"No one can blame a woman who experiences divorce or abandonment after having kids. The issue is with women who enter parenthood with their eyes wide open without a man by their side, either by using a man to get pregnant or through a sperm bank," Popoff wrote, according to the Vancouver Sun.

"In either case, unless theyre very well off, the kids they bestow upon this world are headed for disaster. Why applaud, let alone condone this?"

The party quickly moved to distance themselve from Popoff after the newspaper published the excerpts.

"Mr. Popoff's various comments were insensitive and disrespectful, particularly to women and single mothers who are, in fact, heroes to their children and their communities in many cases," the party said in a release.

"We are a party that believes in a respectful airing of views. Mr. Popoff's statements were unacceptable and he has been removed as a candidate."

Friday is the final day for nominating candidates for the May 14 provincial election and the B.C. Conservatives have been making a flurry of announcements in an attempt to covermore of the province's 85 ridings.

While the party hasn't said whether a candidate will step forward to replace Popoff, the party has nominated four more candidates in other ridings, including Ronald Herbert, the first openly gay president of the UBC Young Conservatives, who is running in VancouverWest End.

Earlierthis week, the party fired VancouverFalse Creek candidate Ian Tootlillover comments he made on social media, and North VancouverLonsdalecandidate Jeff Sprague stepped down after allegedly driving while impaired.

Last week, the B.C. NDP dropped KelownaMission candidate Dayleen Van Ryswyk on the first day of the provincial election campaign over controversial comments made on a local media website.