Singh’s new chief of staff criticized for handling of harassment case
Politics trumps safety of women, says complainant
• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has hired an interim chief of staff whose previous management of several sexual harassment cases in Manitoba has been criticized.
The hiring of Michael Balagus, a well-known strategist in New Democrat circles, follows a number of allegations of sexual misconduct levelled at some of the party’s former members, prompting Singh to commit to creating a safer work environment for women.
The appointment is a disappointment to Joelle Saltel-Allard, a former press secretary who says her complaint of sexual harassment against a Manitoba cabinet minister was not taken seriously.
“If Mr. Singh wants to create a safe environment, it won’t be by hiring Michael Balagus,” she said in an interview, adding the hire is a bit of a contradiction. “For myself, it’s a demonstration that we put politics — the desire to win — ahead of the safety of women,” she added.
Balagus said earlier this year that Saltel-Allard’s complaint was never reported to him.
Balagus is on loan from the Ontario NDP for up to two months while Singh finds a permanent chief of staff to replace Willy Blomme, who left for personal reasons in October.
The longtime NDP strategist has worked for two Manitoba NDP governments as well as former federal NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin in the early 1990s.
The alleged harassment of Saltel-Allard took place between 2009 and 2011 while Balagus was working as chief of staff to former Manitoba premier Greg Selinger. She was working at the time as a press secretary for cabinet minister Stan Struthers.
Saltel-Allard and four other women have alleged that Struthers tickled and groped them but that their complaints to party brass were ignored. Saltel-Allard said she was informed through her supervisor that she would have to “suck it up” with an election on the horizon.
“I understand that he (Balagus) was not the one who caused the sexual harassment, but in my opinion it was the main reason why there were never any consequences for this behaviour,” shesaid.
Struthers, who has declined interview requests, issued a written statement last February apologizing to women “for any interactions I have had that have been inappropriate and that have caused any person to feel disrespected or uncomfortable.”
Saltel-Allard’s supervisor at the time, Jay Branch, confirmed her version of events to the CBC in February. The Canadian Press has not been able to reach him since.