Liberal candidate Kurt Berger dumped after new information emerges from his ex

Manitoba Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari says she has asked for the resignation of Kurt Berger, a party candidate in Winnipeg who had pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-common-law partner 14 years ago.

RAW: Rana Bokhari on severing ties with Kurt Berger

8 years ago

Duration 1:35

Manitoba Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari says she has asked for the resignation of Kurt Berger, a party candidate in Winnipeg who had pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-common-law partner 14 years ago.

Bokhari told reporters in Winnipeg that "new information" has come to light, prompting her to ask Berger to step down on Monday morning.

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The new information came in the form of an email from Berger's ex-partner, said Bokhari, who declined to elaborate on what was said.

"If it's he said, she said and that's what this has become, I have to side with the female, I have to side with the woman," she said.

Bokhari said "even if there's an airof truth" to what the ex-partner said,she felt she had to ask for Berger's resignation.

"What I've said over and over is that I'm a principledleader and I have said there are things I cannot accept, I cannot accept victim blaming, I cannot accept sexism, I can not accept racism," said Bokhari.

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Bokhari declined to give details about what has changed between last week when she defended Berger as a candidate and the emailwhich prompted her to ask for his resignation.

"He has gone throughexcessive therapy," she said. "He has gone throughanger management. He has proven to us at that time.... We had documents, we had everything to show that he did his best to rehabilitate whatever it was. However, for a woman to come out and just ...if there's any air or truth even the slightest air of truth to anything that is being said by by this individual I can't allow it."

Berger told The Canadian Press last week that he had been in an argument with his then-partner.

"It escalated to a point where she had pushed me. I pushed her in return," Berger said in an interview Friday.

"I felt the situation was getting out of hand, so I ended up calling the RCMP."

Berger and his partner gave differing versions to the police, he said, and he was charged with assault.

Berger, now 41, works in human resources for a Winnipeg firm. Until Monday, he had been carrying the Liberal banner in Winnipeg's Elmwood constituency forthe April 19 provincial election.

Berger's impending departure means the Liberals arefielding51 candidates, which falls short of a full slate of 57.