The President of the National Assembly responds to the criticisms of Catherine Fournier, sexually assaulted by an elected official, by creating a position of Commissioner of Respect who will support victims of harassment and assault.
“It was omerta in the National Assembly, no one questioned the fact that he [Harold Lebel] remains in office, that he continues to go out as a Member of Parliament. I believe in the exemplary nature of the function, that’s why I did not understand that he remains in post. I was sure he was going to resign, ”said Catherine Fournier yesterday, after revealing that she was the victim of the former deputy from Rimouski.
The latter was convicted of sexual assault for actions he took in October 2017, following partisan activity in Rimouski.
Wednesday morning, in the National Assembly, the majority of elected officials said that the institution and elected officials should do more to protect victims.
Compliance Commissioner
Precisely, the Office of the National Assembly will modify its rules and create a position of commissioner of respect.
“The office of the National Assembly did not wait to improve and modify its regulations to help, among other things, people who are victims of psychological or sexual harassment,” indicated the President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy. “There will be a new compliance commissioner who will be appointed for the next school year. [parlementaire].”
Catherine Fournier herself is campaigning for an independent respondent position to be created to support elected officials who are victims of aggression.
- Listen to the interview with Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, Conservative senator at the microphone of available as a podcast on :
Suspend elected officials?
But the question that was on everyone’s lips before the question period was: should elected officials facing criminal charges continue to sit, as Harold Lebel did?
The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette “thinks” that clear rules and a mechanism must be put in place.
“It is important, when we live in a situation like this, that the victims who are elected can carry out their work in complete peace of mind and ensure that they are not embarrassed in the course of their work,” said he said, recalling that there is already an anti-harassment policy in the National Assembly.
Faintness
Unable to say if he had any discomfort sitting with Harold Lebel after the charges were laid, the interim leader of the PLQ, Marc Tanguay nevertheless believes that there must be serious reflection.
“When a deputy is accused, should we have, in the National Assembly, a different management? You know, the systems and the ways of managing all that, it is perfectible ”, he underlined.