Canwest News Service

Ousted Liberal candidate in Quebec City runs as independent

Canwest News Service

QUEBEC - A Quebec City candidate who was fired from the Liberal team after proposing the army should have used lethal force to end the 1990 Oka crisis will run as an independent.

Simon Bedard, a former radio host, said Tuesday he couldn’t stay silent and felt compelled to be a candidate in the federal election, despite his controversial remarks.

“Some people thought I would go and hide after what happened, well that clearly isn’t the case,” Bedard told reporters.

“I met a lot of people who told me: ‘You dare say out loud what we think.’ That was a revelation to me and that made me change my mind,” he added.

Bedard said being an independent candidate will allow him to speak his mind freely. In his speech, he took a swing at his former party’s weak campaign in Quebec and at the Conservatives for cutting in culture subsidies and promoting tougher measures for young offenders.

Bedard also changed his mind on his choice of riding, going from running for the Liberals in Quebec to being an independent in Beauport-Limoilou. He defended his choice by saying he was born and raised in that part of town.