Manitoba NDP hears of harassment in party
Inquiry results released at convention
BRANDON, MAN. • Manitoba’s New Democratic Party has suffered for years from a “toxic culture” of sexual harassment and bullying where victims have been afraid or unable to seek help, according to a review released at the party’s convention in Brandon.
“The atmosphere was overly sexualized, sexist and misogynist, and there was often a different standard for women than there were for men,” Kemlin Nembhard, one of two commissioners examining the issue, told some 200 delegates at the party’s convention Saturday.
“The span of years that (people we talked to) have been or were involved with the party was really diverse, and yet the patterns in the work atmosphere, in the general culture and environment ... were pretty consistent.”
The Opposition party set up the commission earlier this year, after several women came forward with allegations they had been subjected to harassment and unwanted touching by former NDP cabinet minister Stan Struthers.
One of them, Shannon Van Raes, alleged Struthers put his hand under her skirt and made sexual comments while she was a staffer. Another woman, Joelle SaltelAllard said when she was a press secretary, Struthers put his hand on her knee and talked about sex acts he would enjoy.
Struthers, who left politics in 2016, has rejected interview requests but issued a brief statement in which he apologized for any inappropriate behaviour.
The commission’s report does not name any alleged victims or perpetrators, nor would the commissioners say how many people came forward, or how many alleged perpetrators there were. They would only say they had heard from former politicians, party workers at the legislature and others.
Nembhard told the convention “It was generally an atmosphere of fear and loyalty. Fear of certain senior staff members was noted ... and then there was the atmosphere of loyalty at all costs (where) one must always remain loyal to the party.”
The commission, which examined the party going back more than a decade, including the years when the NDP was in power, found:
There was a toxic atmosphere where inappropriate behaviour was enabled by key party members.
There was an “Old Boys club” where some people were excluded from decision-making.
There was pressure to take part in drinking and parties, and inappropriate sexual activity inside the legislative building.