Toronto (February 1, 2022) - In a statement released yesterday, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath announced that the party has dropped Steve Parish - who repeatedly praised a Nazi warship captain and supported a previous decision to have a street in the town of Ajax named after him - as its candidate.

The decision came after Horwath held numerous meetings with "grassroots New Democrats, community members and Jewish leaders" to discuss the issue, including with representatives of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), which had called on the NDP to take a stand against Parish’s behaviour.

In the statement, Horwath said, "Mr. Parish has not denounced the decision to have a street named after a high-ranking German officer in the Second World War. Perhaps most importantly he has not demonstrated that he understands why that is harmful."

In January, Parish issued a statement apologizing for the pain caused "to some people in the Jewish community," but failed to acknowledge and right his wrongs.

Horwath added that the NDP's candidate team "must be one that Ontario trusts to be leaders in the fight against antisemitism, and hate in all its forms — whether that’s in a synagogue in Texas or on the streets of Ottawa."

FSWC commends Horwath for listening to the concerns of voices in the Jewish community and for her strong statement and decision on this issue.

"The NDP has made the right decision to drop a candidate who not only approved the naming of a street after an individual who fought for the genocidal Nazi regime against Canada's allies, but who has also continuously supported this decision and glorified the captain," said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Director of Policy at FSWC. "We appreciate the party listening to the concerns of Jewish community members and its allyship in the face of Holocaust revisionism and antisemitism."