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Radio personality calls Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath a ‘whore’ on Toronto radio station

Going in, most politicians understand that their profession — unfortunately — lends itself to personal attacks and name calling.

But this goes too far.

On Wednesday morning, Lou Schizas, a radio personality on the John Oakley show on AM640 in Toronto, referred to NDP leader Andrea Horwath as a "whore."

Here is the audio courtesy of Soundcloud.

Transcript:

Schizas: ...And just to get back to our previous quick quotes on Andrea Horwath. I think whore is the operative syllable there.

Oakley: Well, let’s not take it that far.

Schizas: What do you mean? She was bought.

Oakley: Alright, bought and paid for. But I mean...alright, it’s a pejorative

Schizas: Alright, Sorry, I’ll take the hit.

Schizas was a Business News Network equities analyst until 2007 and now joins Oakley on weekday mornings.

[ Related: B.C. Liberal MLA Bill Bennett apologizes for calling the NDP ‘turds’ ]

His vitriol was likely due to Horwath's decision to support the Liberal budget on Tuesday.

For weeks, Horwath has appropriately been chiding the Liberal minority government for their shoddy record over the cost of the gas plant closures, for deleted emails related to those gas plant closures and for a $406,250 severance package for a departing eHealth executive.

Then on Tuesday, the NDP — in exchange for several concessions including 15 per cent off auto insurance rates and a financial accountability office — voted in favour of the budget and by doing so have kept the Kathleen Wynne government alive until at least September.

[ Related: Former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty resigns from legislature with ‘idealism intact’ ]

Certainly, Horwath might deserve some criticism for that.

But she doesn't deserve to be called a "whore." No politician does.

In response to the name calling incident, NDP MPP Taras Natyshak wrote this open letter to the radio station:

During the John Oakley Show today Lou Schizas crossed the line when he called Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath a name that I won’t repeat.

We can disagree on political points. We can have heated debates and we at the NDP don’t shy away from a fight.

But let’s not forget respect.

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

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