Manitoba Tory MLA Cliff Graydon accused of harassment
Emerson MLA allegedly asked female staff member to sit on his lap during meeting
Manitoba Progressive Conservative MLA Cliff Graydon is the subject of a harassment allegation, CBC News has learned.
The member of the Legislative Assembly for Emerson allegedly asked a female legislative staff member to sit on his lap during a recent meeting when there was no chair available for the woman, according to a government source familiar with the situation.
It is unclear what disciplinary action was taken by the party, but in a statement to CBC News the party's caucus chair said it was dealt with immediately.
Citing confidentiality, the statement did not mention Graydon's name and called the incident a "human resource" issue.
"It has come to our attention that an inappropriate comment was made to an individual at the Manitoba Legislature," MLA Wayne Ewasko said in a prepared statement.
"The matter was dealt with immediately in accordance with policies and procedures that respect the impacted individual's right to privacy and confidentiality, while also ensuring that appropriate measures are taken."
Graydon did not respond to a request for comment.
Graydon is the Tory representative on the Manitoba Hydro board and was first elected in 2007.
This is not the first time the MLA has been in hot water. Graydon was forced to take sensitivity training after he called asylum seekers a "drain on society" on social media.
Tories overhauled sexual harassment policy
Following allegations this year that former NDP minister Stan Struthers tickled and groped several women while in office, the Tory government pledged to overhaul the government's sexual harassment policy.
In February, it announced the creation of a "no wrong door" approach giving employees more options to report complaints, including reporting to the independent clerk of the executive council and the civil service commission.
A report released in June listed 20 allegations of sexual harassment and hundreds of accusations of other misconduct among provincial staff.
Two subsequent reports released in August found 17 per cent of surveyed provincial government employees said they have experienced sexual harassment at work.
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