TORONTO - Stephane Dion began his day defending Lesley Hughes over accusations of anti-Semitism.
But by lunchtime Friday the Liberal leader had unceremoniously dumped the Winnipeg-area candidate in an abrupt move that seemed as much about removing the tarnish of intolerance from the party brand as it did with buffing his leadership image.
Hughes came under fire for an old blog posting in which she suggested Israeli intelligence warned the United States in advance of the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and that "Israeli businesses" vacated the premises beforehand.
Hughes later described herself as a "lifelong friend and supporter of the Jewish community in Winnipeg."
Nonetheless, she apologized for the "perception" that she is anti-Semitic.
But the apology wasn't enough for her party leader.
"The Liberal party's commitment to tolerance and multiculturalism is paramount," Dion said in a statement.
"I have reviewed the past comments of Lesley Hughes and it is clear they do not meet this standard. While I appreciate her apology, I cannot condone those sentiments in any way. I have therefore asked Ms. Hughes to step down as the Liberal party candidate in Kildonan-St. Paul."
The firing strengthens the leader's hand going into next week's leaders' debates.
The Tories chose at the outset of the campaign to make leadership a key issue and paint Dion as a waffler. Now, Dion can claim the political high ground over Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has refused to dispatch Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz over his listeriosis jokes and Tory incumbent Lee Richardson, who linked immigration with crime.
For her part, Hughes was stunned by the firing.
She later defended herself, noting that she had written a biography of a leading figure in Winnipeg's Jewish community, had dramatized the Holocaust in a play, and taught the Holocaust for 15 years in her classes at the University of Winnipeg.
Earlier, Dion fended off questions about Hughes, saying the Canadian Jewish Congress was investigating to determine whether in fact the blog post should be construed as anti-Semitic.
He had been asked about his reasons for not firing Hughes on the spot, while he also demanded the immediate firing of Richardson.
"This is a process that's ongoing for a matter that I take seriously," Dion said before firing Hughes.
"There is no process in the other case -- you have an MP who insulted all Canadians in pretending there is a link between newcomers and crime. This is unacceptable and he should be fired."
B'nai Brith Canada urged Dion to dump Hughes, noting that while she had apologized, she continued to stand by her remark and tried to paint herself as the offended party.
Earlier in the week, at a gathering of prominent members of Winnipeg's Jewish community at the Asper Jewish Community Centre, Hughes was at Dion's side as the Liberals promised $75 million to help religious centres and cultural organizations boost security for their buildings.
The blog controversy soured Dion's visit to Liberal-friendly territory Friday in Toronto, where he was hoping to sell his vision of Canada to a small group of residents from a west-end nursing home.
Questions from journalists about Hughes were shouted down by some Liberal supporters who declared the issue "irrelevant" to the issues of the campaign.
At one point Dion had to intervene and tell the partisan crowd that Liberals believe in freedom of the press.
Gerard Kennedy, the Liberal candidate in Parkdale-High Park, said some supporters are upset with what they see as the media's hostility towards Dion and his Green Shift carbon-tax.
"You do see some frustration on people's part that they're not hearing about the things they want to hear about, their concerns," Kennedy told reporters.
"And some of them don't feel that Mr. Dion is getting a full sort of hearing. There is a different campaign at the doors than there is in the media so far."
In his speech, Dion also tried to tap into the lingering malaise in Ontario that still surrounds the controversial, cost-conscious former Conservative government of Mike Harris, noting that many of the former premier's lieutenants -- Jim Flaherty, John Baird, Tony Clement -- all occupy high-powered seats around Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet table.
And he accused the federal Tories of campaigning on "gimmicks" and "Monopoly money" rather than a grand vision of Canada.
"Conservative governments don't understand the government. They don't believe in it. They pretend they will be good managers, but in fact they spend -- they spent a lot ... but they don't build anything," he said.
Dion pushed proposed Liberal measures that appeal to seniors, such as a $900-million catastrophic drug plan and a plan to help the provinces hire more doctors and nurses.
Now eight candidates lost to gaffes, goofs, old videos
The toll of federal political candidates who have stepped down because of gaffes, old blog entries or unfortunate videos now stands at eight. A list, with dates in brackets:
-- Liberal Lesley Hughes was fired in the riding of Kildonan-St. Paul after an article she wrote several years ago suggesting that 9-11 was an inside conspiracy and that Israeli businesses were alerted and fled the World Trade Centre a week before the attacks. (Sept. 26)
-- New Democrat JulianWest quit in Saanich-Gulf Islands, after a complaint arose about an incident 12 years ago in which he was accused of exposing himself in front of young women. (Sept. 24)
-- Conservative Chris Reid quit in the riding of Toronto Centre over blog musings about guns and the gruesome Greyhound bus beheading. (Sept. 21)
-- New Democrat Kirk Tousaw quit in Vancouver-Quadra after he was shown using illegal drugs in a video. (Sept. 19)
-- New Democrat Dana Larsen quit in the riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country after a video surfaced showing him using illegal drugs. (Sept. 17)
-- Liberal Simon Bedard quit in the riding of Quebec over comments he wrote about aboriginals in the Oka crisis. (Sept. 11)
-- Liberal Ricardo Lopez stepped down in Beauharnois-Salaberry after comments he made about aboriginals. (Sept. 11)
-- Conservative Rosamond Luke stepped aside in the riding of Halifax after reports surfaced about her criminal record. She said she quit because of work commitments. (Sept. 9)
