CANADA DEBATES NEW HARASSMENT LEGISLATION AMID #METOO STORM
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, December 12, 2017. REUTERS |
Canada’s parliament began
debate on Monday on new legislation to tighten workplace harassment rules,
including those governing politicians, as allegations of sexual misconduct
mounted against lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum.
The bill, introduced
by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government in November, gained a new
prominence after a federal cabinet minister and two provincial party leaders
stepped down last week after being accused of inappropriate behavior.
While the proposed
law will govern all federal workplaces, including private businesses, the
environment among political staffers in Ottawa was in focus as the #MeToo social media movement gained momentum in
Canada.
“It clearly is a
crisis in this workplace,” Employment Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters
outside the House of Commons. “We talk a lot about getting women into politics,
and if we can’t actually protect the women staffers in our own workplaces, we
have a long ways to go.”
Last week, Trudeau
announced that federal Cabinet Minister Kent Hehr, 48, had resigned pending an
investigation into allegations that he made inappropriate comments to women.
That announcement
followed the resignation of Patrick Brown and Jamie Baillie, the leaders of the
Progressive Conservatives in the provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia,
respectively.
The president of
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party, Rick Dykstra, also quit Sunday after
Maclean’s magazine published a story containing allegations that Dykstra had
sexually assaulted a young political staff member during his time as a federal
member of parliament.
“Over the next
couple of months we will see the party coalesce around a new Leader. As this
process unfolds, I have made the decision to step aside as President and take a
step back for someone else to lead us through the hard work,” Dykstra said on
Twitter.
He did not respond
to a Reuters request for comment Monday.
The government’s
legislation would outline procedures from employers to deal with allegations of
harassment and bullying, add the option of an outside investigator, and enforce
privacy rules to protect victims.
Previously, if an
employee had a complaint about a member of Parliament, they had to work through
the party or the speaker of the House of Commons to resolve the issue.
In the United
States, sexual harassment allegations have also engulfed men in politics,
business and the workplace, inspired by the #MeToo social media movement
supported by victims of sexual harassment or abuse.
Source: Reuters
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