Kent Backtracks on Tamil Tory Candidate

Senior Tory Peter Kent has apologized to his party's leader for criticizing the lack of background research on Gavan Paranchothy.

Conservative MP Peter Kent has retaken the party line after briefly showing signs of politically verboten independence over a candidate with links to Tamil extremism. Gavan Paranchothy, a broadcaster running for the Tories in Toronto, hosted a tribute to Tamil freedom fighters who died in the Sri Lankan civil war. An active member of the Tamil community, Paranchothy is believed to have had direct contact with the leadership of the Tamil Tigers, a paramilitary organization listed as a terrorist group in Canada. Kent, a long-time journalist himself who was the environment minister in the last cabinet, initially said his party had “dropped the ball” on Paranchothy and called the tribute show “unacceptable.” On Sunday, Kent reversed his position by apologizing for causing the prime minister any embarassment over his comments.

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