The Canadian Press
Stephanie Levitz
OTTAWA–Kent Hehr has resigned from the federal cabinet after the sport and disabilities minister was accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks while a provincial politician.
The allegation, which stems from his time as an Alberta MLA a decade ago, first was levelled against Hehr on social media late Wednesday.
By yesterday afternoon, he was out of cabinet pending an investigation.
“Harassment of any kind is unacceptable, and Canadians have a right to live and work in environments free from harassment,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
“As a government, we take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously and we believe that it is important to support women who come forward with allegations, and that is exactly what our government will do.”
Lawyer Christine Thomlinson has been engaged to conduct an independent investigation for the government.
Trudeau characterized Hehr’s resignation as a “leave of absence” and said, in the meantime, his duties will be performed by Science minister Kirsty Duncan.
The accusation of misconduct first was disclosed on social media by Kristin Raworth, who spoke out about her interactions with Hehr in an interview yesterday.
The former employee at the Alberta legislature said when she started her job, she was warned against being alone with Hehr but ended up in elevators with him because they worked in the same building.
“My very first experience with him was in an elevator when he called me yummy,” she said.
“And at the time I was 25 years old,” she added. “I was very naive about that and I didn’t know how to react.
“I didn’t know how to respond when someone is saying this to you.”
Raworth said subsequent encounters included similar remarks or efforts to brush up against her.
Upon talking with female colleagues, she realized others had experienced similar things.
In a statement yesterday, Hehr did not directly address the allegations but said he believes harassment is never acceptable and everyone deserves to have their voice heard.
“Throughout my career, I have always tried to conduct myself with respect towards others and I understand the most important thing is how each individual feels,” he said.
“I have been informed that an investigation into these allegations has begun, and I welcome and respect this process.”
Raworth came forward after two young women told CTV about sexual misconduct by Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown while he was a Conservative MP.
Brown denied the allegations but nevertheless stepped down as leader of the party.
Raworth said she chose to speak out “because I think that it’s incredibly important in the current climate we are in that we have these conversations about abuse of power and sexual harassment in the workplace and what that looks like.”
In a statement posted on Facebook yesterday evening, Raworth thanked her family, colleagues, and friends for their support while adding that “politics needs to change” in order to accommodate more women.
She said Hehr’s resignation “can’t be the end of the conversation,” and the political arena should be a place “where everybody can contribute their best without fear or harm.”
Hehr was elected as a Liberal MP for Calgary in 2015 and said he intends to continue to serve in that position.
“The conversation our society is having is a very important one,” he said. “I encourage all women who have felt uncomfortable or who have experienced harassment of any kind to continue to come forward.
“It is never OK.”
Hehr previously had served as veterans affairs minister but was shuffled out of that role last year.
