Toronto, Oct 7 (IANS): An Indian-Canadian Sikh candidate, who was to fight parliament elections on October 19 and who claimed that homosexuality was unnatural and gays can be cured into straight people, has been dumped by his party for his views.

Jagdish Grewal was the candidate of the ruling Conservative Party from the Toronto suburban constituency of Mississauga-Malton.

Grewal, who also runs a paper called Punjabi Post, was dumped by his party for writing an editorial in his paper in which called homosexuality "unnatural behaviour" and heterosexuals as "normal".

In his editorial titled "Is it wrong for a homosexual to become a normal person?" Grewal wrote that people become gay because of some "shock" in their childhood but it can be "corrected".

Dumping him, the Conservative Party said: "Mr. Grewal is no longer an official candidate for the Conservative Party."

"These (Grewal's) comments do not reflect the views of the Conservative Party of Canada. We believe that all Canadians -- regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation -- deserve to be treated with respect and dignity."

Canada legalised homosexuality in 2004 and the Toronto Pride (gay) Parade is one of the biggest such event in the world.