"I am aware of how difficult it is for people to come forward. I believe strongly that those of us in positions of authority have a duty to act upon allegations of this nature."
Read his full statement
Liberal MP Massimo Pacetti's Statement (Nov. 5)
"At 9:30 this morning I was informed by Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, that I have been suspended from caucus, based on allegations against me of 'personal misconduct.'
I have not been provided with the specific details of the allegations that led to this suspension. House Speaker Andrew Scheer has been asked to conduct and independent investigation, which I intend to cooperate fully, and which I am confident will exonerate me.
Until such time, I will sit in the House of Commons as an independent Member, and continue to represent the citizens of my riding of Saint-Léonard/Saint-Michel, which I have represented with integrity and dedication since May 2002."
Liberal MP Scott Andrews' Statement (Nov. 5)
"Today, Judy Foote MP sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons requesting an independent third-party to investigate an allegation of harassment.
While I understand there is an established process to deal with harassment between Members of Parliament and staff, there is no process to deal with allegations between MPs themselves, and therefore I encourage the Speaker or Board of Internal Economy to establish an appropriate process without delay. I believe that our Parliament needs to be a workplace free of harassment, for both staff and MPs
I intend to fully cooperate with answering any and all questions from an independent third-party investigator. However, it would not be appropriate for me to answer questions prior to a non-partisan process being established and being provided with the specifics of the allegation. I am confident such a process will find that no harassment has occurred.
NDP Whip Nycole Turmel, On Her Reaction To Liberal Suspensions
"The persons involved, the alleged victims of this harassment or misconduct, didn’t know that this would be coming. So imagine, they are victims and they are victimized a second time."
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, On Why He Didn't Pursue Complaints
"Our No. 1 concern was to make sure that they got the help they needed and that their wishes were respected. Those wishes included a very strong desire to keep this confidential. That was their request and we were not about to override that and make them victims a second time."
NDP MP Craig Scott, On His Allegation Grits Breached Confidentiality
"I attended a meeting with the Liberal Whip at the request of, and in order to help and support, a friend and colleague.
My good faith contribution to this meeting was confidential. This good faith has been breached, and confidentiality deliberately broken in a way that further disrespects and puts pressure on the victim. At the same time, these actions continue to completely ignore the rights of former Liberal MPs.
I got involved to help a colleague, with one cardinal rule: respect the wishes of the victim. For those who still do not understand: one must respect victims rights, whether the issue is civil, criminal or disciplinary. Unlike others, I do not believe there is any virtue, let alone an ethical duty, to act contrary to victims' wishes.
For Liberal backroom operators to claim that somehow I am responsible for Justin Trudeau's decision is simply laughable.
I will therefore not dignify this spin with any further comments."
Senator Larry Campbell, On Why Alleged Victims Must Speak Up
"As far as I'm concerned, right now we have nothing more than a smear here.
NDP MP Breaks Silence To HuffPost
In an interview with The Huffington Post Canada, one of the alleged victims shed some on the allegations that may have gotten Pacetti booted from the Liberal caucus.
The MP, who was not named in the story, said she and Pacetti had sex "without explicit consent" that hurt. She later complained directly to Trudeau.
Sources Shed Light On Andrews Allegations
Sources also spoke with The Canadian Press about the accusations surrounding Andrews, who spent time socially with the other alleged NDP victim.
From the story: "According to sources, the woman alleges 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.
Afterwards, sources say the woman alleges that Andrews repeatedly verbally harassed her, calling her a 'c-kteaser.'"
Andrews' lawyer denied the MP behaved improperly.
Pacetti Responds With Statement (Nov. 25)
"I am troubled that the complainant chose to air these allegations in the media as this is inconsistent with statements conveyed through her party that privacy and fairness must be respected for both sides," the statement continued.
As with media reports of this nature, in this instance many questions remain unanswered and there is no way to evaluate the veracity of the claims being made. If need be, this matter should go through a confidential process mediated by an independent third party as was proposed by the Speaker of the House of Commons. Canadian standards of fairness and the presumption of innocence can then be maintained to arrive at the truth.
I reaffirm my innocence and I will not comment on this matter in the media any further."
Tory MP, On 'Consorting Without Protection'
After the NDP MP's interviews, Tory MP Peter Goldring sent an eyebrow-raising press release warning MPs about the dangers of "consorting without protection." He later retracted the statement below and apologized.
"It will not be good enough to simply say that your intentions were honourable and you were just inviting a colleague to your apartment at two in the morning to play a game of Scrabble at the end of a day of playing sports and drinking. MPs must learn, as I have from encounters with authority figures in the past, that all do not tell the truth. I now wear ‘protection’ in the form of body-worn video recording equipment. I suggest that others do so too, particularly because some accusers hide behind a shield of supposed credibility which many times is not, and sometimes even hide behind a cloak of anonymity, which conceals their shameful indiscretion and complicity."
