Kurt Berger, ousted Manitoba Liberal candidate, says controversy over ex has hurt his family

Kurt Berger, who was turfedas a Manitoba Liberal candidate after his ex-spouse came forward with allegations of abuse, says the controversy has caused a lot of pain to his family, including his children.

Berger was the Liberal candidate in Elmwood, a Winnipeg constituency, until party leader Rana Bokhari asked him to resign on Monday.

The party initially stood by him after it was revealed last week that he had pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-common-law partner in 2002.

• Liberal candidate dumped after new information emerges from his ex

But Bokhari said she sought Berger's resignation after she received "new information" from the former partner.

Berger said he regrets that his decision to run in the election, and the controversy that has erupted over the assault conviction, is hurting his current wife and their children.

"There are three sides to every story. I never thought it would have this much implication on my family," he told CBC News in an interview late Monday.

"I feel that I'm a good person. Now I'm kind of left to bear the brunt of my choice to run politically."

Berger said he does not blame Bokhari for her decision, saying she did what she had to do under the circumstances.

As well, he praised the Liberals for not digging up dirt on other parties' candidates.

"We had candidates like me who poured their heart and soul into the campaign," he said.

"People's choices should be based on fact and policy, not dirty laundry, not by which party can dig up the most dirt on a person."

'I don't wish to minimize my role'

The ex-spouse whom CBC News has identified only by her first name, Sandra accused Berger of minimizing the severity of the 2002 assault.

• Ex-spouse of Kurt Berger,turfedLiberal candidate, speaks out

Berger told The Canadian Press last week that he and his then-partner were in an argument and it escalated until they pushed each other. He said they gave differing versions to police, and he was charged with assault.

"I pled guilty to the charges because, quite frankly, that was the option given to me by my lawyer," said Berger, who declined to comment further on Sandra's allegations regarding the assault.

"I don't wish to minimize my role," he said. "Short of dragging out all the court documents, it's very much 'he said, she said.'"

Berger added that he has grown a lot as a person since 2002.

"I've talked quite openly about mental illness. I started showing signs of depression from my late teens to early 20s. I thought a stronger person fights it out," he said.

"I went through anger management, more hours of counselling. I hope now it's not all been for nothing."

Berger responded to Sandra's claims about custody issues related totheir teenage child. She saiddespite a current court-ordered joint-custody claim, Berger has made it difficult for her to communicate with or see the teen, who lives with him.

However, Berger said after three family assessments, a court deemed him to be the child's best caregiver.

He added that the teen has been feeling a lot of pain over being dragged into the political controversy.