Do Facebookers ever learn?

Ray Lam and friends in undated photo

Facebook Pics Surface
Cheryl Chan, Canwest News Service

Published: Monday, April 20, 2009

The NDP candidate for the new riding of Vancouver-False Creek has abruptly withdrawn from the election race hours after inappropriate photos of him surfaced on a social networking site.

Ray Lam, a community organizer who sits on the board of Vancouver Pride and other gay-rights group, said the photos were taken from his private Facebook page.

"I regret this material and the associated comments that have now become public," Mr. Lam said in a statement.

"I do not want this to be a distraction in the election campaign and have advised the party that I am stepping down."

One photo showed Mr. Lam with his hand on a woman's chest, while another showed him posing with two other people grabbing his underwear.

NDP president Jeff Fox said Lam was "quite taken aback" when he found out the photos were in the public domain because he thought they were behind a privacy setting on Facebook.

Liberal candidate Mary McNeil said posting such photos on Facebook showed a lack of maturity and experience.

"While I don't think they're offensive, they do show poor judgement and inexperience."
Politicians should be aware of the benefits and dangers of using the site as a campaigning tool, she added.

"Facebook is a very important way for candidates to reach their voters, and we have to demonstrate who we are when we communicate with voters."

This is the second time in a month the NDP has gained unwanted attention with its choice of candidates.

Last month, NDP candidate for Vancouver-Kensington Mable Elmore had to apologize for comments she made in 2004 about Zionists that can be interpreted as anti-Semitic.

Party leader Carole James had said she will be looking into the party's vetting process.

Mr. Fox said the NDP conducts an extensive vetting process that requires nominees to complete a questionnaire, which asks for disclosure on blogs, Internet postings and Facebook.

The answers are then checked by an independent researcher.

"In this instance, at that time, the public listing for Ray was reviewed and there was nothing on there that would give any cause for concern," said Mr. Fox.

The B.C. Liberal Party hasn't been immune from controversy.

Recently, the party dropped Joe Cardoso, its candidate for Boundary-Similkameen, because of anti-Gordon Campbell statements he made to a local paper in 2005.

The NDP will nominate a new candidate for Vancouver-False Creek in the next few days, said Fox.

Vancouver-False Creek is one of six new B.C. ridings created in 2008. It combines a swath of the old riding of Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview.