OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Saskatchewan MP Erin Weir has been temporarily suspended from his duties amid allegations of harassment.
Singh calls it a troubling allegation that he takes very seriously.
However, he also says the information comes not from the target of the behaviour, but from a third party who was made aware of it.
Singh says an independent investigator has been appointed to look into the allegation and that while Weir will remain a member of the NDP caucus, his duties will be curtailed pending the outcome.
Singh says the allegations, contained in an email received by the party, involve “harassing behaviour” toward a female party member.
Weir, 35, a former economist with the United Steelworkers union, was first elected in 2015 in the riding of Regina-Lewvan.
In a statement that was issued prior to Singh’s news conference, Weir protested his innocence, but also pledged support for the party’s investigation.
“As politicians, we are placed in a position of public trust. We are, and should be, held to the highest possible standards and it is absolutely right that our party has a process to investigate any allegations of harassment,” the statement said.
“However, I do not know what is being alleged. I am confident that I have not harassed anyone and welcome a prompt investigation to clear my name.”
