TORONTO — The Ontario Liberals dropped a third candidate in as many days Thursday over Facebook comments he made when he was 13 that used a slur for gay people, leaving the party short of running a full slate.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who was not aware of the Facebook posts unearthed by the NDP when he made an announcement Thursday morning on mental health, said his party would not tolerate such comments. 

"In this moment in particular, when confronted with or given information about behaviours of candidates, attitudes of candidates, beliefs of candidates that are completely unacceptable — completely unacceptable — I think the test of leadership is to move decisively and to leave no wiggle room and to be unequivocal," he said.

Within the hour, a party spokeswoman confirmed that Alec Mazurek had been officially terminated as a candidate for the Liberals in Chatham-Kent-Leamington.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Mazurek said the comments were unacceptable, but noted he was 13 years old when he wrote them eight years ago.

"To put it into context, I was just starting high school," he wrote. "This is not an excuse to minimize the reason that this is an issue, but I would also like to make clear that we’re holding a child to the same standards as the adult writing this statement today."

The Facebook comments shared by the NDP, which now appear to have been deleted, also include a derogatory remark about women. 

Mazurek's ousting came a day after the party dropped a candidate for Parry Sound-Muskoka after media reports described a book he self-published that details scientifically baseless views on homosexuality.

The Liberals were unable to replace him with a new candidate in the riding, ahead of the Elections Canada deadline for nominations Thursday afternoon. They will also not have a registered candidate in Timmins. It means the Liberals will run candidates in 122 out of 124 ridings.

Earlier this week, the Liberals dropped their candidate in Sault Ste. Marie following a media report that the teen candidate participated in online discussions in which people joked about "dying of AIDS," though he told local media he did not make those comments.

The deadline for candidate nominations was 2 p.m. Thursday.

Del Duca didn't comment on how the Liberals vetted their candidates but said he sees it as an ongoing effort.

"From my perspective, the vetting process never stops," he said. 

"We're constantly making sure that we are in touch with our candidates, that we're aware to the best of our ability of what's taking place and what's going on with it."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2022.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press