Accuser ‘in the dark’ about Liberal investigation of Kang
A woman who came forward last year with allegations of misconduct against Calgary Skyview MP Darshan Kang stemming from his time as an MLA says the provincial Liberal party never contacted her, despite its promises of an internal investigation.
Kirstin Morrell said she’s also never spoken to investigators from the ongoing House of Commons inquiry into Kang’s conduct.
Morrell spoke publicly about Kang last fall as the MP faced accusations of sexual harassment from a staffer in his federal constituency office. That person has not been named publicly.
Morrell, who worked as a constituency assistant in Kang’s office from 2011 to 2012 when he was the Liberal MLA for Calgary-McCall, said Kang harassed her by groping and kissing her repeatedly, despite her continual rejection of his advances.
The allegations prompted provincial Liberal leader David Khan to pledge last September the party would conduct its own investigation that would involve speaking with past and present staff, and party officials.
But in a recent interview, Morrell said no one has called her in relation to an investigation by the provincial party.
“As far as I can tell, there was no investigation and I don’t see any reason to believe there would be an investigation at this point,” she told Postmedia.
Morrell said Khan appears to have promised a review simply out of political considerations, without following through.
In a brief conversation, Khan said he would not discuss the investigation, including whether it had taken place.
“I’m not going to comment on that issue right now,” he said.
On Thursday, fresh allegations of improper behaviour were made against another Liberal MLA turned MP, Calgary Centre MP Kent Hehr. An Alberta civil servant said Hehr would make inappropriate comments to women at the legislative assembly when he was an MLA.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accepted Hehr’s resignation from federal cabinet.
Responding to questions about allegations of sexual misconduct by women that forced Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown to resign early Thursday, Trudeau saluted the women who came forward.
“We take these allegations extremely seriously whenever they come up,” Trudeau said Thursday.
Hehr and Kang both moved into federal politics in 2015, becoming the first Liberal MPs elected in Calgary in four decades.
Kang left the federal Liberal caucus last August to sit as an Independent. He declared his innocence at the time, but in a recent interview would not address the allegations because of the ongoing House of Commons investigation.
Morrell, who was the Liberal candidate in Calgary-Northern Hills in the 2012 provincial election, said she did not make a complaint about Kang to the legislative assembly’s human resources office at the time because she did not have confidence in the process.
But she said she came forward when new accusations were made against Kang to provide support to the woman in his federal constituency office who alleged misconduct. That woman has not spoken publicly and she did not respond to request for comment.
The woman’s allegations against Kang were referred to the House of Commons’ chief human resources officer, but the Speaker’s office says the investigation process is “completely confidential.”
Morrell contacted the House of Common’s human resources office, the office of the Liberal government’s chief whip and the Liberal party’s human resource office last year.
She said their response was essentially to “buzz off,” and she has not been interviewed as part of the federal investigation.
“I feel like everybody else, I’m sure. I feel like I’m in the dark about this and I don’t really know ... in the case of the original complainant, what’s happening with that,” said Morrell.
In an email Thursday, CharlesEric Lepine, chief of staff to Liberal whip Pablo Rodriguez, said he informed Morrell last year that her complaint was taken very seriously and he immediately referred it to the human resource office.
“At that time, it was also suggested to her that if she felt she was subjected to any inappropriate behaviour while working in the provincial legislature, that there was additional avenues to make an official complaint (if she felt comfortable doing so), including the Alberta legislature human resources and the local police.”
As far as I can tell, there was no investigation and I don’t see any reason to believe there would be an investigation at this point