TIME’S UP ON CULTURE OF ABUSE

It has never been a secret that Parliament Hill can have a sexually charged atmosphere.

There has long been a culture of afterhours schmoozing and boozing, with plenty of power and celebrity and those who stake their careers on being close to both.

As Hollywood and other industries face a rising chorus from women saying enough is enough, we have been reminded that our own corridors of power are not immune to sexual abuse and harassment.

Last week, The Canadian Press released survey results that illustrate what many knew or believed already to be the case. Of the 89 female members of Parliament, 38 took part in the survey; 58 per cent of them said they had been affected by sexual misconduct while in office. Of the 22 who gave details about the perpetrator, 15 said it was another MP. These women say they’ve also experienced inappropriate comments on social media.

In November, the Liberal government announced an overhaul of rules governing federally regulated industries, including workers on Parliament Hill, and sets out a robust complaints mechanism.

It is perhaps obvious, but what must change is not a specific policy or mechanism. These are important tools, but only part of an equation. What must happen is wholesale cultural change — the kind that we are seeing, slowly, across the Western world.

Surely in 2018, the time has come — has decades passed, in fact — for women to know they will not have to suffer harassment, abuse, or misogyny in its many forms, simply because they have the temerity to take their rightful place at the tables of ideas.

Those who think a culture of abuse does not exist are entitled to dispute the term. But the evidence is growing that exploitation by the powerful of the vulnerable is pervasive in many parts of our society.

Those who have power should exercise it and show leadership. That means calling out ugly deeds and actions, and supporting those who are bold enough to stand up for themselves and others. It means there are consequences for bad behaviour — legal, certainly, but also swift repudiation of conduct that may not violate the letter of the law, but breaches its spirit. If any place in our nation should set an example, it should be Parliament Hill. While the cynical may say politics is no stranger to the worst of humanity, it also has that most important capacity: to lead.