Liberal allowed to run despite allegations

Trudeau defends move in face of earlier comments

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is defending allowing a Liberal candidate to stand for re-election despite facing numerous allegations of unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate comments to women.

Trudeau’s position came a day after saying he had “zero tolerance” for people who engaged in harassment or intimidation.

The CBC reported Tuesday that Raj Saini, the candidate for Ontario’s Kitchener Centre, was being allowed to stay in the race despite allegations of inappropriate behaviour that span six years.

The broadcaster said it had seven sources who described four different instances where Saini allegedly made unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate comments.

One former staffer said she had filed a Canadian Human Rights case against Saini and later tried to take her own life.

Saini denied the allegations, telling the CBC he took the health and safety of his staff “extremely seriously.”

“Protecting my staff and ensuring they are respected is not something I take lightly,” he told the CBC.

The 54-year-old pharmacist has represented the riding since first being elected in 2015.

When asked about Saini on the campaign trail Tuesday, Trudeau said the Liberals took the issue of workplace harassment seriously.

“I’ve said many times and will continue to insist that everyone deserves to have a safe workplace, in the public service, in political campaigns, and right across the country in whatever jobs they have,” said Trudeau.

Without addressing any specific complaint, Trudeau did appear to acknowledge there had been issues.

“Mr. Saini has shared the processes, there have been rigorous processes undertaken that he has shared the details of,” Trudeau said. “We know that it is extremely important to take any allegation seriously, which we certainly have, and we always will because everyone deserves a safe workplace.”

On Monday, Trudeau appeared to take a different position when asked about Troy Myers, a Conservative candidate in the Nova Scotia riding of Dartmouth-cole Harbour who stepped down when he was asked to withdraw by the Tories because of an allegation of sexual assault.

Asked on Monday whether he would commit to doing the same, Trudeau replied, “Absolutely.”

He added, “Canadians deserve to know the people standing up to represent them, to serve them in the House of Commons are not people who have shown disrespect, misbehaved or are facing serious allegations.”

He said he had been unequivocal in showing “zero tolerance” for those engaged in harassment or intimidation.

Opposition parties attacked Trudeau for changing his position within 24 hours and for a failure to protect women.

In a statement, Michelle Rempel Garner, the Conservative health critic, said, “There is a human cost to a culture of cover-up of misconduct. When silence is allowed to cover the sins of powerful men, women suffer.

“Justin Trudeau’s past actions show that he will not act on allegations of sexual misconduct in both the Liberal Party of Canada and the federal government. He has a pattern of covering up or looking the other way on these kinds of allegations.

“To the women in this story, rest assured we will continue to fight for better.”

The NDP’S Lindsay Mathyssen said in a statement, “My heart goes out to the women who had the courage to come forward and share their stories. It is completely unacceptable that anyone should have to work in an environment where they feel unsafe...”