Liberal MPs accused of sexual harassment to be booted from caucus

One-time Liberal MP Scott Andrews says he's "astounded" by reports that his suspension from the Liberal caucus will soon become permanent.

Liberal insiders say the fate of both Andrews and Montreal MP Massimo Pacetti has been decided by Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau after receiving the results of an independent investigation he ordered into complaints levelled against them.

Toronto lawyer Cynthia Petersen, a human rights specialist who has investigated sexual harassment complaints in the private sector, handed Trudeau her report on Pacetti and Andrews last week.

But according to Andrews, despite a pledge from the party to provide an advance copy of the executive summary before it would be "discussed publicly," he's heard nothing since last week.  

"I have been waiting since last Friday and I am still not privy to Cynthia Petersen's report," he said in a written statement on Wednesday. 

Quebec MP Massimo Pacetti, left, and Newfoundland MP Scott Andrews, right, were suspended over accusations of personal misconduct made by two members from another party. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

"I have had no communication with Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau, or the Liberal Party of Canada, regarding the report."

The statement goes on to say that Andrews has "participated and co-operated fully" with the process, and is "disappointed to learn that unscrupulous unnamed sources have chosen to communicate through the media rather than respect the process and those affected by it."

It notes that Andrews hopes to discuss the report with his lawyers before making any further comment, but says that he will "issue a formal reaction and make himself available to the media to answer questions over the next few days."

Trudeau suspended the pair of MPs last November from the Liberal caucus and from seeking re-election under the party's banner after a female New Democrat complained directly to him that Pacetti had allegedly had sex with her without her explicit consent.

The New Democrat also revealed to Trudeau that another female NDP MP had allegedly been sexually harassed by Andrews.

Both Pacetti and Andrews have maintained they did nothing wrong.

No clear process

Attempts to get to the bottom of the complaints have been frustrated by the fact there is no formal process for investigating misconduct complaints between MPs.

Last fall, Trudeau initially asked the Liberal whip, Judy Foote, to speak privately with the two women and, as a result of that informal process, bounced Pacetti and Andrews from caucus.

At the time, he said only that he'd taken action after hearing complaints about "personal misconduct" from an MP from another party. He did not reveal the nature of the complaints or the gender or party affiliation of the complainants.

However, furious New Democrats accused him of "re-victimizing" the women by making the matter public. Trudeau's attempts to win all-party support for creating an independent process for investigating the complaints foundered while Pacetti and Andrews, their reputations in tatters, languished in limbo.

In December, Trudeau hired Petersen to conduct an investigation. It is not clear if either of the women co-operated with her or whether she had to rely on notes taken during the complainants' meetings with Foote.

Sex without explicit consent

One of the alleged victims spoke on condition of anonymity to various media outlets, including The Canadian Press, late last November.

She alleged that she and Pacetti, whom she considered a friend, had been at a sporting event together last March. She agreed to go for a night cap in the hotel room Pacetti calls home while in Ottawa, where she alleged he made unwanted sexual advances.

Eventually, she alleged that Pacetti pulled her to him and they ended up having sex. The woman, who said she had previously been the victim of a violent sexual assault, said she froze and blocked out the situation. She alleged it was sex without her explicit consent.

During the confidential meeting with Foote, sources have told The Canadian Press that the woman acknowledged she did not explicitly say no to Pacetti and that she provided a condom. In the interview, she refused to comment on those details.

Sources have told The Canadian Press that a separate incident involving another female New Democrat began when she accompanied Pacetti and Andrews to Pacetti's Parliament Hill office after a social event. The three drank some wine but Pacetti eventually left the other two alone.

According to sources, the woman alleged that Andrews followed her home, forced his way through her door, pushed her against a wall, groped her and ground his pelvis against her. She ordered him to leave. He did.

Sources have said the woman further alleged that Andrews subsequently repeatedly harassed her verbally, calling her a "c—kteaser," among other things.

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