The Star: Del Duca might be a mental defective, but his candidate isn't wrong. Furthermore, it would demonstrate a modicum of brass on Duca's part to stand up for Noah Semple. Chances are, however, that Del Duca will throw Semple under the bus.
'Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said the party — which quickly dumped three other candidates this week — will take a closer look at the writings of Noel Semple, a law professor running in Etobicoke Centre, in The Varsity student newspaper while he attended the University of Toronto in 2004.
'“I believe in making sure we have all the information in front of us before we can make any kind of decision about how we’re going to go forward,” Del Duca told reporters in Scarborough a day after the party dropped its candidate in Chatham-Kent-Leamington for using an F-word gay slur on Facebook eight years ago within a half hour of the NDP revealing it.
'He said he was not aware of Semple’s writings until they were raised by the Star and moved to assure the LGBTQ community Friday that “we are your allies” in the June 2 election campaign, citing several candidates from that community by name.
'Semple authored an opinion piece arguing against a levy on students that would raise $25,000 for a campus group called LGBTOUT and said the money would be better spent on other causes such as fighting poverty.
'“LGBTQ people, by contrast, are not a needy or victimized subset of society,” he wrote in the March 15, 2004 edition.
'“You’re here, you’re queer; we got used to it a long time ago. Go find your $25,000 elsewhere.”'