This article contains descriptions of graphic and disturbing social media content involving themes of sexual assault and incest. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Just hours before Liberals in Scarborough Southwest are set to cast their ballots in a high-stakes nomination race, a front-running candidate's campaign has been thrown into turmoil after disturbing social media posts—including links to videos depicting incestuous sexual assault—surfaced on his now-private Facebook page.
Ahsanul Hafiz, a prominent businessman and current vice-chair of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario), is facing scrutiny after screenshots began circulating of several posts on his Facebook timeline, dated July 2011. The posts, which appear multiple times on a verified account under Hafiz's name, contain headlines describing a "shocking video" of a brother sexually assaulting his sister.
Though the posts are more than a decade old, their last-minute discovery has sent shockwaves through the riding association and raised urgent questions about the party’s candidate vetting process—or lack thereof.
Hafiz, who owns 30 Domino's Pizza franchises across Ontario, is one of four candidates vying for the provincial nomination in the upcoming Scarborough Southwest by-election. He has built his campaign on a platform of “integrity, honesty, and community service”—a slogan that now threatens to become a political epitaph.
The timing could hardly be worse; nomination day is scheduled for today, and Hafiz recently made headlines for forming a strategic "Scarborough First" alliance with fellow candidate Qadira Jackson. The pair urged their respective supporters to rank one another second on the ranked ballot in an explicit attempt to block perceived front-runner Nathaniel Erskine–Smith.
As of writing, it remains unclear how such posts, publicly visible on a high-ranking party official’s personal Facebook page, escaped the attention of opposition party's, let alone the OLP's own vetting officials. Hafiz's campaign website continues to describe him as a "dedicated leader" who has lived in Scarborough for 25 years and served as a “pillar of the community.”
As of writing, Hafiz's official campaign social media channels made no mention of the controversy. The Ontario Liberal Party and Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario) has also not responded to our requests for comment on the status of Hafiz's candidacy or whether an internal investigation has been launched. It also remains unclear whether Hafiz will remain on the ballot for Saturday's vote—a decision that, if delayed, could throw the nomination into chaos.
With voters set to head to the polls in mere hours, the affair has become a sudden and searing test of the party's judgment, competence, and tolerance for candidates with a digital past that many would call unforgivable.
