Leslie Bory, a Brantford man recently convicted of advocating genocide and promoting hatred, has registered to run as an independent candidate for the Brantford Brant South Six Nations seat in the upcoming federal election. Bory, who was also convicted of making threats to police officers and politicians, was sentenced on March 10 to time served—about two years—and one year of probation.
Bory’s candidacy has sparked strong reactions, with critics like Michael Teper, a Canadian Jew whose grandmother survived Auschwitz, condemning him as a “convicted hate criminal” unfit for public office. “It’s disturbing that voters may not be fully aware of his history of offenses, despite serving significant time for them,” Teper said in an email to The Expositor. Nevertheless, Teper acknowledged that Bory, as a Canadian citizen, has the legal right to run for federal office.
Under Canada’s Elections Act, individuals currently imprisoned cannot run for political office, nor can those convicted of offenses under the act in the past five years. However, there is no provision in the act that prevents someone convicted of advocating genocide or promoting hatred from running for office, nor is there a ban on candidates on probation.
In a statement, Bory defended his right to run. “Being a political prisoner has made me very popular among Canadians who value honest and brave public representatives,” he said. “I stand alone in that category.”
Bory, who has made controversial and inflammatory statements in the past, including calling for justice regarding what he referred to as the “vaxdemic,” a term he uses for COVID-19 vaccines, has also voiced strong opinions about the government. He has criticized both the Liberal and Conservative parties, accusing them of colluding to punish those questioning World War II history.
In early 2023, Bory made headlines when he posted large signs on his property denouncing Jews, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the COVID-19 vaccine. His inflammatory rhetoric, including death threats against politicians who supported pandemic restrictions, prompted a police investigation. Authorities later found Bory’s home stocked with firearms and ammunition, though his lawyer successfully argued that the weapons were stored safely.
At trial, Bory testified that his speeches, which included calling political leaders pedophiles and referring to the Holocaust as a “holo-hoax,” were meant as “theatre” to gain more viewers. Assistant Crown Attorney Armin Sethi disagreed, stating that Bory’s actions were part of a clear pattern to incite violence and advocate genocide against Jewish people.
Many, including representatives from the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, B’nai Brith Canada, and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, expressed disappointment with the sentence. The Crown had called for the maximum penalty of seven years, given the severity of the threats and Bory’s extensive firearms collection.
Bory, who has run in multiple provincial and federal elections in the Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk ridings, is now making another bid for political office. Meanwhile, Karleigh Csordas, the Green Party candidate for Brantford Brant South Six Nations, has emphasized her party’s commitment to combatting racism, bigotry, and xenophobia, stating that everyone deserves to feel safe and welcome in Canada.
Incumbent Conservative candidate Larry Brock and Liberal candidate Joy O’Donnell did not respond to requests for comment before publication. Paula Sossi, the NDP’s recent candidate, withdrew from the race for personal reasons.
As the election approaches, the controversy surrounding Bory’s candidacy raises important questions about eligibility and accountability in Canada’s political landscape.
