Transcona LGBT candidate accepts Wab Kinew's apology for past homophobic lyrics

The newest addition to the Manitoba NDPsays she thinks party running-mate Wab Kinew's use of the word "fag" in past hip-hop music is unacceptable, but ultimately accepts the Fort Rouge candidate's apology.

"I think it's really unfortunate, but we all have pasts," saidBarb Burkowski, NDP candidate for Transcona.

"In some cases we've said things that are really inappropriate and we hold those with usthose are the things that define us and there's obviously no place for them in politics."

Kinew'spastmisogynistic and homophobic lyrics were brought up during Jamie Hall's abbreviated candidacy for the Manitoba Liberal Party this week.

• Manitoba candidates Jamie Hall and Wab Kinew under fire for comments about women

• ANALYSIS |Jamie Hall's tweets easily avoidable political trap on social media

Hall was nominated as the party's candidate forSouthdaleMarch 2. Later that day, Hall's pastderogatory Twitter comments calling women"skanks" were put under the spotlight and had the NDP calling on the Liberals to drop him as a candidate.

One of histweets from 2012 asks, "If a whore screams in the bedroom and no one is around to hear it, is she really a whore?"

He resigned March 3;Liberal LeaderRanaBokharicharacterized his problematic words as "disgusting" and distanced herself and the party from Hall.

• NDP guilty of 'double standard' after silence on Wab Kinew's misogynistic lyrics: Tories
• MaryAnn Mihychuk calls for better Liberal vetting process following Jamie Hall controversy

The Progressive Conservatives waded into the discussion Friday, saying the Liberals took too long to act on severing ties with Hall, and accused the NDP of remaining silent on the issue ofKinew'slyrics.

Whereas Hall saidhis use of the words "skank" and "whore" on social media were meant to be satirical, and he maintains hewill not delete the offensive tweets,Kinewapologized for his remarks in his 2015 bookThe Reason You Walk.

Burkowski, who has worked as an organizer for Pride Winnipeg, said usinghomophobic slurs is never OK, but acknowledged efforts to phase out the termhave made strides in recent years.

"We've come a long way in terms of terminology and phrasing.That phrase is never right to use, but I think the way things have developed over time, the way Pride [Winnipeg] has developed, the way gay rights have developed, things have changed,"Burkowskisaid.

"Wab acknowledged that and made it clear that wasn't OK."

The former CBC broadcaster also put out a detailed statement onFacebookSaturday (below).