Conservatives call for probe into workplace assessment involving Liberal candidate Raj Saini

Just ahead of the first debate of the election campaign, the Conservatives are calling on the clerk of the House of Commons to determine whether a review was properly conducted regarding workplace issues at Liberal candidate Raj Saini's office.

Seven sources with knowledge of the mattertold CBC News of four different instances of Saini allegedly making unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate comments towardLiberal staffers during his six years in office.

Saini deniedon Tuesday ever acting inappropriately. He said an "independent third-party review" of his office conducted through the House of Commons last summercleared himof harassment.

Trudeau also defended Saini on the campaign trail this week and is allowing him to run for re-election in the Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre. Trudeau saidhis party takes complaints seriously and insisted that"there have been rigorous processes undertaken"in Saini's case.

Following the TVA debate Thursday, Trudeau said it was unsatisfying to saya process wasfollowed, but he has to rely on third party verifiers and experts to make those determinations.

But a female senior staffer who cameforward andalleges Saini mistreated her denied that the systemwas rigorous.She said she wasn't allowed to take part in the workplace assessment, even though her concerns were what initially prompted the review.

Conservative candidate Michelle Rempel Garnersent atwo-page letter to Clerk of the HouseCharles Roberttoday, asking whetherthe review ofSaini's office followed theHouse of CommonsWorkplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy,which requiresthat the complainant be interviewed.

'This does not sound like an actual investigation'

"This does not sound like an actual investigation, and certainly not one conducted under the policy," she wrote to Robert.

Rempel Garnerwrote that the fact the complainant wasn't interviewed in this case"has led me to question whether or not this policy is sufficient and actually works."

"Given that Mr. Saini has been allowed to re-offer as a Liberal candidate, should he be re-elected, given the gravity of the CBC reports of allegations against him, the rest of the parliamentary community must have clear assurances that the policy worked and that they are not working in the midst of someone who allegedly may present concerns regarding their safety and well-being," shewrote.

The senior staffer who said she wasn't allowed to participate in the review filed a Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint last year alleging Saini touched her thigh on more than one occasion, made inappropriate comments and harassed her. Fearingcareer reprisals, she asked CBC News to keep her identity confidential.

She alleges Saini's treatment contributed to her mental distress. She saidshe tried to take her own life by overdosing on pills in Saini's office in March 2020.

The staffer showed CBC News an email in whichSaini said he engaged a human resources consultant to conduct a workplace assessment of the office to address the issues she had raised, and that she could participate once she returnedfrom sick leave.

Liberal whipMark Holland's officealso sent her an email saying she wouldhave an opportunity to take part in theworkplace assessment.

"As soon as you brought this to our attention, we inquired into the matter andwas advised that the MP engaged a senior HR consultant to undertake a workplace assessment process to help address any concerns staff may have," wrote Holland's chief of staff, Charles-Eric Lpine. "I understand that you will also have the opportunity to take part once you are ready to return to work."

But in August2020,while she was on leave, the House of Commons dismissed her, citing "cause as a result" of her"misconduct," according to the former staffer's dismissal letter.

The letter also statesthe former staffer turned down a mediation process with Saini. She said she didn't trust that the mediationprocess was impartial.

The dismissal letter said the staffer "repeatedly breached" her"duty of good faith and loyalty" toher employerthrough"persistent and incessant unwelcome and disparaging comments toward the MP."

The staffer shared with CBC News a string ofemails and texts she sent Saini while on sick leave, saying that ifSainidid notapologize, she would sue, go to HRor go public with her story.

Saini got police involved and warned her to stop contacting him, she said.

Trudeau says he doesn't havesatisfactory answer

After the TVA debate, Trudeau said there is a real, deep outrage among Canadians thatharassment continues to occur and there aren't good enough systemsin placeto properly deal with them. As a result,survivors hesitate to come forward.

Trudeau saidwhen he came toParliament there were no systeminplace for MPs, and it was hisgovernment that set one up. But he admitted there ismore to do to eliminate harassment, intimidation and misogyny in "far too many institutions."

"The answer is always imperfect to say, 'You know there's a process we have to follow,'" he said.

WATCH | Trudeau says system for dealing with harassment still not good enough:

Trudeau says it's 'frustrating' answer to say process is being followed in addressing sexual harassment claims

3 years ago

Duration 1:58

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says it can be frustrating for him to say that processes are being followed when dealing with sexual harassment claims in Canada's institutions.

"'Yes, we will give credibility and processes of resources to anyone who comes forward, but we have to rely on third party verifiers and experts to make determinations to make sure we're getting it right," said Trudeau.

"So saying, 'well, there are processes' is not a satisfactory answer to me or to anyone, but it's the best answer that we have."

House of Commons to reply to letter

The House of Commons said it intends to respond to the letter quickly, but cannot comment specifically about the case because the process is confidential. It alsosaid the policy states employees have multiple avenues ofrecourse, including under the Canadian Human Rights Act or via the courts in some cases.

The former senior staffer said the Canadian Human Rights Commission told her in June2020 that it couldn't look into her complaint because MPs are not considered "federal employees."

She also said shecan't understand how someone experiencing severe stress is supposed to navigate the process.

"I feel like I did everything I could to address thisand it was never enough."