Courses to prevent office harassment mandatory for new MPs by end of year
Newly elected MPs will be required to take a training course to prevent sexual harassment in their offices.
The awareness course will educate new MPs on what counts as harassment -- and how to take steps to prevent it.
The course, paid for by the House of Commons, will address many forms of harassment, as well as violence prevention and the abuse of power by MPs.
New MPs must complete the training by the end of the year, along with new Commons staff.
Sitting MPs already have to take anti-harassment training every three years.
The harassment prevention session, called Strengthening a Culture of Respect -- from Awareness to Action, will be offered in English and French.
It will be run by ADR Education, a Victoria-based training company which offers courses on "building and sustaining a respectful workplace."
The courses develop skills to "address harassment or disrespectful behaviours."
The conduct of MPs has come under the spotlight once again during the election, with allegations that a Liberal MP harassed a female member of his staff.
Last week, the House of Commons' most senior official ordered a fresh look at whether there are "shortcomings" in the policy on sexual harassment, and whether improvements need to be made.
The move followed questions about a Commons inquiry into Raj Saini, former Liberal MP for Kitchener Centre.
The clerk of the House of Commons wrote to Michelle Rempel Garner, a Conservative, to tell her he had asked the head of human resources to examine the Commons' handling of the matter.
Saini stood down as a candidate after facing a barrage of questions about claims he harassed a female staff member, allegations he says are "unequivocally false."
Liberal whip Mark Holland last week warned against a "trial" of Saini, who has said he will not discuss the allegations because of privacy concerns.
The Tories and NDP have questioned why Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau allowed Saini to run for re-election.
Rempel Garner, who rigorously campaigned as an MP against sexual harassment and urged politicians from all parties to speak out, criticized the Liberals' handling of allegations against Saini, as well as previous complaints.
The Conservative candidate for Calgary Nose Hill suggested MPs might benefit from even more training on the issue, perhaps twice a year. But training MPs would not improve behaviour if "the culture in the party is of coverup," she said.
Speaking to The Canadian Press, she said there is an "inherent power imbalance on Parliament Hill" which "rewards silence" over inappropriate behaviour.
"Members are required to (sign up) for mandatory training. I am just not sure if it is strong enough or frequent enough," Rempel Garner said.
New MPs will be able to choose between virtual or in-person harassment prevention training and must complete the course within three months of taking their seat in the House.
The harassment course is one of a series of orientation courses offered to newly elected MPs by the House of Commons, including on the hiring of staff.
Heather Bradley, director of communications in the office of the Speaker of the House, said the training would focus on "setting up a healthy workplace."
"The goal of this training session is to give participants a better understanding of the roles that the member and their employees play in maintaining a culture of respect in the workplace, and it focuses on harassment and violence prevention in the workplace. "
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2021.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people are dead following a collision in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busty stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Should you save or splurge on makeup this summer?
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.
William Shatner says he would consider 'Star Trek' return: 'Here comes Captain Kirk!'
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.
One dead after potential wrong way crash on Highway 401 in Milton: OPP
One person is dead and another is in life-threatening condition after a driver was travelling in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Milton Sunday, according to police.
Local Spotlight
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.