Brampton Councillor Denies He Made Racist Comments

Brampton | Ontario | Latest News | Opinion | Politics |

Published October 21, 2018 at 8:08 pm

A Brampton councillor has been accused of making racist remarks on the eve of the city’s municipal election, comments which he has vehemently denied making.

A Brampton councillor has been accused of making racist remarks on the eve of the city’s municipal election, comments which he has vehemently denied making.

Brampton Regional Coun. Michael Palleschi

Screenshots of an alleged Twitter conversation have circulated, seemingly showing Wards 2 and 6 Councillor Michael Palleschi, who is running for reelection, making some crude comments about the Indo-Canadian community.

The conversation appears to show Palleschi and an identified party discussing election strategy concerning the mayor’s race. “I called Patrick (Brown) and told him not to worry. Indies in Brampton are not the brightest bunch. They always switch candidates to suit themselves,” the councillor allegedly said.

“If somehow Patrick loses, our own people are to blame for this. They have allowed the ‘others’ to keep getting seats. Pretty soon Brampton will be a full laughingstock of the GTA,” conclude the alleged comments from the councillor.

The messages appear to originate from Palleschi’s Twitter account as a municipal official (which is @COBMPalleschi), and not his campaign account.

One of Palleschi’s opponents, local lawyer Gurpreet Bains, issued this response to the accusations:

“Michael Palleschi owes the residents of Brampton an immediate explanation or apology if he has in fact made these derogatory statements. Residents of Brampton expect their elected officials to represent and speak for all people, irrespective of their race, religion or background.”

“I strongly condemn any form of racism or discrimination against any community,” Bain said in her press release.

Palleschi took to Twitter in which he issued this statement denying any such conversation took place:

In what is being perceived as a tight election contest, something as heated as allegedly racist comments could sway voters in a last minute scramble to garner support.

However, with Palleschi denying the conversation ever took place, it’s hard to say if the allegations–contested as they are–will make a difference at the polls tomorrow.

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