Sen. Meredith investigated for alleged workplace harassment

Senator Don Meredith

Sen. Don Meredith is under investigation for allegations of workplace sexual harassment and bullying, CTV News has learned.

Four of Meredith’s former female employees and four other Senate staffers allege he made sexual advances, used sexual innuendo, and was often rude and vindictive.

Senate Speaker Leo Housakos confirmed the investigation.

“My predecessor in February had commissioned a workplace assessment because they found it was unusual that there was such a high turnover of employees in such a short period of time,” Housakos said.

Meredith, a Pentecostal minister and social conservative, denied Wednesday that he is under investigation.

“(I’m) not under any investigation whatsoever,” he told CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

“Absolutely not,” he said when asked again. “This is news to me.”

But sources said Meredith was interviewed as part of the investigation, and that a report is coming next week.

The report is expected to be delivered to the ethics commissioner, who will decide whether any action is required.

News of the investigation comes just days after a report into Senate expense claims by Auditor General Michael Ferguson, who said he would refer nine senators to the RCMP and demand 21 others also repay expenses.

Meredith was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2010 to represent Ontario. His Parliamentary biography states he is the first senator of Jamaican descent and a volunteer pastor at a Pentecostal church in Vaughan, Ont.

Meredith stopped calling himself “Dr. Meredith” after it was revealed last year that his so-called honourary degree came from a non-degree-granting college.

With a report from CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife