VANCOUVER — Faced with a growing controversy over allegations he exposed himself to a group of teenage girls 12 years ago at an environmental conference, NDP candidate Julian West has resigned as the candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

“After thinking about it, I have determined that I do not want to continue as a candidate and I have informed the party of that decision,” he said in a brief statement issued by e-mail yesterday morning. “I do not want my candidacy to detract from the campaign or from the issues that should be front and centre in this campaign. I’m going to return to my private life now, and I sincerely hope the campaign will be focused on the issues.”

Mr. West’s sudden resignation came after party officials had expressed confidence in him, saying his behaviour at an environmental conference in 1996 was nothing more than “a moment of indiscretion from a young man.”

On Sunday, Mr. West, a teacher of mathematics at Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo who is in his mid-40s, apologized for his behaviour at the environmental conference, saying he made “a serious error in judgment,” when he went skinny dipping with a group of teenagers.

NDP Leader Jack Layton and other party officials quickly came to his defence, saying he was the victim of a sleazy political attack that had unfairly dredged up an old issue.

The incident first came to light over the weekend, when a newspaper article from 1996 began to make the rounds on the Internet.

That prompted Mr. West’s apology and statements of support from party officials.

On Monday evening, Bill Graham, president of the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding association, said he expected the candidate to weather the controversy.

Mr. Graham said he thought the 1996 incident was “a harmless event” and voters would not be concerned about it.

“These allegations are all sleaze. They take away from the seriousness of a campaign,” he said.

“We fully defend Julian on this issue. We expect this to come out actually in his favour because I think people regard this type of activity, of trying to put a candidate in a bad light over something that happened 12 years ago and was a harmless incident, we think most people would think that was very unfair, and sleaze,” he said.

Mr. Graham said Mr. West had disclosed details of the event when he became a candidate, and it didn’t raise concerns with party officials.

“I think this was an activity that was, you know, harmless, a moment of indiscretion from a young man,” he said.

Mr. Graham could not be reached for comment in the wake of Mr. West’s resignation.

The resignation of the NDP candidate winnows the left-of-centre field in a riding that has been a textbook example of vote-splitting.

In the 2006 election, Conservative incumbent Gary Lunn won the riding with just 37.2 per cent of the vote, with the Liberals coming second at 26.5 per cent, just ahead of the NDP at 26.1 per cent, and with the Green Party putting in a strong showing with 9.9 per cent of the vote tally.

Looking to coalesce the left-leaning vote, the Liberals nominated long-time Green activist Briony Penn.

Mr. West is the third NDP candidate to resign in B.C. during the current campaign.

Two others who left the political stage, last week, after revelations were made about their past use of marijuana.

Elections Canada official Susan Friend said that Mr. West’s resignation came too late in the campaign to have his name struck.

“He didn’t withdraw by the deadline. His name will be on the ballot,” she said.