(Toronto, Ontario) An Independent federal election candidate in Sudbury, Ont., is the focus of a second hate crime investigation, this one following a complaint that he told a radio station a prominent gay rights activist should be executed.

Sudbury police had already launched an investigation of Popescu following a complaint that he told a group of local high school students at a candidates debate on Sept. 30 that gays should be executed.

In the Toronto incident, Popescu was asked by AM640 radio host John Oakley whether Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, should be executed.

Kennedy said Popescu responded "yes.”

In a phone interview from his Sudbury home, Popescu said he stands by the comments that have been attributed to him. He also said he isn’t concerned about facing possible prosecution.

"I can defend myself very well,” he said. "It doesn’t bother me.”

Kennedy called the comments “very disturbing,” adding she has no regrets about filing her police complaint even though it might generate publicity for Popescu’s campaign.

"It needs to come out in the open. I mean, he’s run in seven previous elections. It reminds us in the community and in the broader community that these types of homophobic, transphobic comments still exist. It’s a reminder that we still have a long way to go in Canada to address some of these concerns.”

Kennedy wants Toronto police to determine if Popescu’s comments amount to an offence under Canada’s hate crime legislation.

The Sudbury case has been referred to the provincial Attorney General’s office before a decision on laying charges is made.

Toronto police Det. Matt Moyer called it an "an odd case.”

"It’s going to require some Crown consultation,” Moyer said, adding that investigators have acquired a copy of the broadcast.

"Some of the issues are obviously jurisdiction,” he added, pointing out Popescu’s comments were made in Sudbury but broadcast in Toronto.

A decision on charges in the Sudbury incident is expected to take weeks.

Popescu, who is in his early 60s, has run in several municipal, provincial and federal election campaigns over the last decade.

He has established a reputation as a fringe candidate whose fundamental — even extreme — religious views have been consistently rejected by the overwhelming majority of voters.

He has routinely received less than one per cent of the vote in his campaigns.

In 2003, Popescu was convicted of assaulting his 89-year-old mother. His sentence included a judge’s order that he submit to a psychological assessment.

Major party candidates in the Sudbury riding have called for Popescu to be barred from public debates for the remainder of the election campaign because of his extreme views.