Trudeau backs candidate accused of sexual misconduct whose alleged victim attempted suicide in his office

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set to make a campaign stop in Ottawa and commit $6.5 billion for mental health services, another Trudeau Liberal controversy may undermine the announcement. He faces questions of an incumbent candidate alleged to have created a toxic work environment.

Several unnamed sources alleged two-time Kitchener-Centre MP Raj Saini made unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate comments, reported Kitchener Today.

Reports by the CBC also found that one staffer who complained to staff about harassment attempted to take her own life in Saini's office last year.

"I've said many times and will continue [to] insist that everyone deserves to have a safe workplace, in the public service, in political campaigns, and right across the country in whatever jobs they have," said Trudeau, touting his and his party's record on such issues in the past.

"Mr. Saini has shared the processes. There have been rigorous processes undertaken that he has shared the details of," he said. "We know that it is extremely important to take any allegation seriously, which we certainly have, and we always will because everyone deserves a safe workplace."

Despite Trudeau's zero-tolerance policy on sexual misconduct in the workplace, the Liberal party approved former MP Marwan Tabbara as a Liberal candidate in 2019 despite an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The decision to back his candidacy took over six months to make — an unusually long period for an incumbent.

In June 2020, Trudeau said he was continually informed of investigations into allegations against Liberal MPs. However, he did not divulge what he was told about Tabbara's case or why Tabbara was approved as a candidate.

Trudeau added: "We take every single case extremely seriously," but couldn't comment because of confidentiality.

Claims of inappropriate touching and unwelcome sexual comments involving Tabbara and a female staffer were reported to the Liberal party multiple times over the years. The source spoke anonymously in June 2020, citing fears of being blacklisted within Liberal circles that negatively impacted their careers.

The Liberal Party has a "Respectful Workplace Policy" for all candidates, staff and volunteers to prevent harassment in the workplace and on the campaign trail. It stipulates that the consequences of harassment include a warning, suspension or termination of employment. There are also non-disciplinary options available — an apology, mediation or additional training.

The allegations faced by Saini appear to stem from a former senior staffer's social media posts from one of Saini's former senior staffers.

In a post on Twitter, that person suggests she is now campaigning on behalf of the NDP candidate in Waterloo, adding, "candidate integrity and ethics are important to me." In a separate post, she says "treating women with respect" also played a factor in her decision.

The Greenlight Committee's work in vetting candidates includes conducting police checks and credit checks, calling numerous references and speaking to people on Parliament Hill. The committee also combs through a potential candidate's social media accounts for red flags.