Wynne accepts candidates' apologies for 'inappropriate' posts

Kathleen Wynne says she's satisfied with the apologies that a pair of Liberal candidates have made for "inappropriate" posts on Facebook.

The Ontario Liberal leader said Tuesday she had spoken with two candidates whose Facebook posts had drawn unwanted attention from the PCs and NDP.

"I've been very clear in these situations — in the two situations that I'm aware of — that the comments were inappropriate and the corrective action has been taken," Wynne said in Toronto.

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In one case, Jack Uppal, an Ottawa-area Liberal candidate, had shared on Facebook in January a post on the differences between men and women. The post included lines about women being unable to find solutions to problems.

In a second case, Niagara West-Glanbrook candidate David Mossey, who is running against PC Leader Tim Hudak, was spoken to about an "inappropriate picture" on his Facebook page that showed images of bikini bottoms and made references to exercise with the tagline "Women: Take Notice!"

Apologies 'sincere'

Despite the controversy, Wynne said Tuesday that she had spoken to the candidates and she knew their "apologies are sincere."

Wynne said she was not aware of a tweet from a London-area candidate that made reference to flirting with women, which has been pointed out by the New Democrats.

The Liberal leader said that she will do everything in her power "to make sure that all of our candidates and all of our campaigners are respectful of each other and of everyone in our society."

Wynne said candidates in all parties must pay close attention to the things they say on social media.

"Social media absolutely contributes to the dissemination of all commentary, appropriate and otherwise," she said.