Trudeau may rely on internal investigation
‘Fair and equitable’ process
OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau signalled Wednesday that he will, if necessary, rely on his party’s own internal “investigations and discussions” to determine if two MPs suspended from Liberal caucus should return to the team.
Trudeau made the remarks to journalists after his caucus met on Parliament Hill amid a continuing political furor over allegations of personal misconduct involving MPs Scott Andrews and Massimo Pacetti.
His comments, though lacking detail, cast new light on the evolving issue and reveal that Trudeau might be prepared to keep his former colleagues out of caucus — even if two female NDP MPs do not participate in an independent investigation of the harassment allegations.
When they were suspended Nov. 5, Trudeau said they would remain outside the fold — and be forbidden from running as Liberal candidates in the next election — pending a neutral third-party “investigation” that the Liberals were seeking from Speaker Andrew Scheer.
This week, Scheer informed Trudeau that he is prepared to provide “external experts” to discuss the allegations with the Liberal and NDP MPs in a confidential and impartial process.
Scheer stressed that for the process to be successful, it would require the “willingness of all involved parties to come together to address the issues.”
However, in recent days senior NDP officials have said the two women — who remain unidentified — have not changed their minds and do not want to formally lay a complaint about the allegations they brought to the Liberals last month.
Trudeau said it would be “ideal” for the two women to participate in a formal process to probe the allegations, but he said that’s not all he needs to make his decision.
“We have already taken extensive notes on what the individuals in question shared about the incidents,” Trudeau said. “It was the basis for our decision to suspend the two MPs in question, so there is certainly information that we can follow up.”
Trudeau cast a positive light on the Speaker’s offer of external experts by saying he believes it now provides a “credible independent thirdparty confidential process.”
“I’m going to wait and see if there is indeed over the next couple of days a response from the other parties. … And if indeed it doesn’t come to fruition, then we will look at next steps.”
Trudeau promised his alternative to a new investigation would be “fair and equitable” to his suspended MPs.
Trudeau had been approached by a female NDP MP on Oct. 28 in Hamilton, Ont., where they had attended a funeral for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. He then instructed the party whip, Judy Foote, to look into the matter. She held a meeting on Oct. 30 with NDP whip Nycole Turmel and the two
“I’M GOING TO WAIT AND SEE IF THERE IS INDEED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS A RESPONSE FROM THE OTHER PARTIES. … AND IF INDEED IT DOESN’T COME TO FRUITION, THEN WE WILL LOOK AT NEXT STEPS.” LIBERAL LEADER JUSTIN TRUDEAU
NDP MPs, who outlined allegations against Pacetti and Andrews.
“We cannot get away from the fact that a complaint was lodged,” Trudeau said.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair had a different perspective on how the political firestorm has evolved.
He said the New Democrats who met with Foote never said she could go public with their allegations. “That meeting was held on the condition that all elements of it were private,” Mulcair said Wednesday.
He said the two New Democrats have the right to decide what becomes public and whether they participate in an investigation of Andrews and Pacetti.