Jerry Bance, Conservative caught peeing in mug, no longer candidate, party says

A service technician caught on hidden camera urinating into a coffee mug during a 2012 house call to repair a leaky sink before he became a Conservative election candidate is no longer running, the Tories said today.

Jerry Bance "is no longer a candidate," said Conservative spokesman StephenLeccein a briefemailto CBC News on Monday.

Lecce later confirmed to CBC News that Bance was dropped for not being truthful during the candidate screening process.

Leccedidnot provide any further details, such as who might replaceBanceasConservative candidate in the Toronto-area battleground riding ofScarboroughRouge Park.

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Bancewas filmed during an episode ofCBC-TV'sinvestigative seriesMarketplace.He is seenpeeing into acoffee cup before dumping its contents into the sink he was supposed to be fixing.

A service technician for the last 25 years, hehad been called to the home as part of a sting operation to catch and confront repairmen overcharging homeowners for simple repairs to home appliances. Hidden cameras captured the incident, which occurred while a Marketplace producer posing as a homeowner was in the next room.

Bance had alsorun as a Conservative in 2006 and 2008.Jason Kenney, the high-profile Conservative minister and candidate from Alberta, helped himkick off his current campaign last week.

The originalMarketplaceepisode had referred to Bance who owns and operatesXPressAppliance Service, an appliance repair company in the Greater Toronto Area only as "Jerry." A tip received by CBC News late Sunday night pointed out JerryisBance.

The Tories'split with Bance was followed just hours later by news that the party had dropped another Torontocandidate, Tim Dutaud, after YouTube videos surfaced of Dutaudmaking prank phone calls that included derogatory comments about people with disabilities.

Speaking during a campaign stop in Toronto Monday afternoon, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper faced questions from media about both candidates but offeredlittle in response.

"What this says is that we keep the highest standards for candidates and that these two individuals are no longer candidates," he said.

In a statement released Sunday evening, Bancesaid "the footage from that day does not reflect who I am as a professional or a person.

This must be someone who's adept at Stephen Harper's trickle-down theory of economics.- NDP Leader Tom Mulcair

"I deeply regret my actions on that day."

Response to the story on social media sites was nearly instantaneous. Thehashtag"peegate" was soon trending on Twitter, as Twitterbuzzed with disparaging jokes, comments and bad puns targetingBanceand the Conservative Party.

The Conservatives' political rivals took the opportunity to make a few jokes at Bance's expense.

"I guess that this was one mugshotthat Canadians weren't expecting from the Conservatives," said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.

Mulcair was speaking to reporters at the annual Labour Day parade in Toronto, where he's spending the day campaigning for the Oct. 19 vote.

Tom Mulcair has some fun with latest Conservative resignation

9 years ago

Duration 0:27

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair cracks a couple of jokes over the resignation of a conservative candidate who had been caught on camera urinating into a coffee mug while he worked as a service technician.

"This must be someone who's adept at Stephen Harper's trickle-down theory of economics," Mulcair said smirking. "Any other questions?"

Speaking Monday evening at a campaign event in Summerside, P.E.I., Liberal Leader Justin Trudeausaid the incidents show Harper isout of touchand"didn't bother"to find out the past of two of hiscandidates.

"And he lost them today,"Trudeausaid of the candidates,beforeslippingin abarb to the local crowdover suspended Senator Mike Duffy's residency troubles.

"But really, is that something so surprising from a man who still believes Mike Duffy is a Prince Edward Islander?"