WEIR NOT GIVING UP
Ousted MP seeks outside review
REGINA Regina MP Erin Weir is calling for an external appeal of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s harassment investigation, citing a “lack of due process.”
He is requesting that an outside authority review the investigation process launched this spring by Singh.
The three-month investigation, conducted by a University of Ottawa professor, found credible evidence to support one allegation of harassment and three allegations of sexual harassment.
“I never wanted to prolong the situation by launching an appeal. I instead made a good-faith effort to participate in the process set out by Mr. Singh to apologize to those who felt uncomfortable and to complete all the remedial actions discussed with me, but we seem to have reached an impasse,” Weir said, noting Singh has repeatedly said he is a “threat to workplace safety.”
“Meanwhile, many other people have raised questions about the investigation’s lack of due process and expansive interpretation of harassment, so I thought having an outside expert look at the investigation process and report would be a way to resolve the controversy.”
He suggested an outside authority like the House of Commons human-resources office or a human-rights tribunal review the investigation process.
Weir said he did not want to prejudge an appeal done by such an organization, but said he thinks an external review would find “significant problems with investigative processes.”
The MP said Singh’s office suspended him before soliciting anonymous complaints from NDP staffers, which Weir said created a “presumption of guilt and I believe led many people to retrospectively reinterpret interactions they’ve had with me through that lens.”
Despite voicing his concern with the process that led to him being ousted from the NDP caucus, and vowing to seek a nomination for the party in the next election, Weir continues to be rebuked by Singh.
“The investigation was a just and fair investigation,” Singh said Wednesday after a caucus meeting.
Singh said he hopes his decision will help address the “culture of silence” that exists on Parliament Hill.
“We all know on the Hill and in political parties ... that people have been discouraged from coming forward,” he said.
“There’s been a reluctance to talk about concerns. People haven’t been able to voice legitimate claims of harassment.”
Appeal options are available under the Canadian Human Rights Act, the NDP staff’s collective agreement and contained within the NDP Policy on Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Violence.