The Liberal Party has fielded a longtime MLA as a challenger against NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in an upcoming byelection.
Richard T. Lee, who served in the BC Legislature for 16 years, will be added to the ballot for the Burnaby South byelection.
“Richard Lee has a proven commitment to public service, and he has dedicated his career to making life better for Burnaby families,” said Suzanne Cowan, president of the Liberal Party.
His nomination comes just three days after former candidate Karen Wang stepped down for publishing an offensive post on WeChat, a social media platform.
The post referred to Singh as the "candidate Singh of Indian descent," while she reportedly referred to herself as the "only Chinese candidate in this riding."
Wang said she is not a racist, adding the post was misinterpreted.
She said she regretted her decision of bowing out so quickly and asked the Liberals to have her back, but they refused.
"We actually promote participation of people in all backgrounds, different backgrounds, in the democratic process. Karen's comments are not aligned with the values of the party," Lee said.
In 2015, Lee was appointed as the Deputy Speaker. He ran in the 2017 provincial election for Burnaby North and lost to NDP Janet Routledge.
Corporate lawyer Jay Shin is running for the Conservatives.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is offering a "leader's courtesy" to Singh by not offering a candidate to run against him.
The byelection will be held on Feb. 25.
