Ontario PC candidate Andrew Lawton blames mental illness for controversial tweets
Candidate in London West made remarks about Islam, women, race and LGBT community
The London West candidate for Ontario's Progressive Conservatives, Andrew Lawton, is asking voters for their "compassion and trust" for controversial remarks he made during a period when he says he was "reckless" in almost all areas of his life.
Lawton, who is looking to unseat the NDP's Peggy Sattler in the June 7 provincial election, took to social media on Monday to tell voters his controversial actions between 2005 and 2013 were a product of his struggles with mental illness.
"Throughout my career, I've been very open about my struggles with mental illness," he tweeted. "While that discussion has centred on my 2010 suicide attempt, in actuality it was a battle that spanned from 2005 to 2013."
He continued: "I was reckless in almost all areas of my life: financially, socially, sexually and vocationally … I was active on social media throughout much of this time, posting things that are so far removed from who I am and what I stand for that I can't even fathom my frame of mind in writing them."
Here's what "reckless" looks like:
What he said about race:
What he said about women:
What he said about the LGBT community:
What he said about Islam:
What he said about Christianity:
What he said about deaf people:
What he said about mental illness:
The tweets above have since been deleted but were provided to CBC News by a source who has requested their identity remain confidential because of concern of online reprisal.