Que. female politicians harassed

QUEBEC— Powerful women who rise to the top level of Quebec provincial politics are not spared from sexual misconduct and harassment. In the wake of the #MeToo movement that is raising awareness of sexual harassment, the 37 female members of the national assembly were asked to discuss their own experiences.

Of the 24 women who agreed to participate through surveys or interviews, most said they’d lived through some form of misconduct.

Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) said they’d experienced one or more forms of sexual misconduct as they carried out their duties as politicians.

Forty-two per cent of respondents said they had been victims of sexual harassment before entering politics, while two women said they had been sexually assaulted.

The six cabinet ministers and 18 backbenchers reported numerous forms of misconduct that included groping, derogatory remarks of a sexual nature, comments on their physical appearance, intimidation, exhibitionism, inappropriate gestures and assault.