Punjaborigin Canadian MP accused of sexual harassment

TORONTO A Canadian Member of Parliament, who is of Indian origin and belongs to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party, has been hit with allegations of sexual harassment by a staffer.

Darshan Kang was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in the federal elections in 2015, and represents Calgary Skyview, in the province of Alberta. The staffer he allegedly harassed worked in his constituency office in Calgary.

The chief government whip’s office confirmed that the House chief human resources officer Pierre Parent was conducting an investigation into the incident, Ottawa-based The Hill Times reported. It quoted Charles-Eric Lepine, chief of staff to chief government whip Pablo Rodriguez, as saying: “We were made aware of the allegations and referred them, as per the House of Commons process, to the chief human resources officer.” There was no response to a request for comment sent to Kang’s office.

Whether the sexual harassment charges have also been made locally cannot be confirmed. When contacted, a spokesperson for the Calgary Police Service told HT that he was unaware that an official complaint had been made.

Kang, 66, was born in India and immigrated to Canada in 1970. He was twice elected to the provincial assembly before becoming the first Liberal Party candidate to be elected to the House of Commons from Calgary in nearly 50 years.