Liberal MP accused of sexual assault issues public defence on Twitter
A Liberal MP accused of sexual assault in Halifax on Saturday has released a statement saying he was linked to the incident by mistake.
Ontario MP Francis Drouin was alleged to have committed the offence at the Halifax Alehouse Saturday morning in downtown Halifax, near the facility where the Liberal party policy convention was being held.
"While I was standing facing the bar, with my credit card in hand, I heard what I believed to be a woman's voice coming from another area of the establishment behind me, yelling that her buttocks had been grabbed," Drouin said in his Twitter post.
"Her comments were clearly not directed towards me. I turned away from the bar, and shouted 'get that man out of here' to draw attention to the alleged incident. I turned back to the bar and paid for the drinks with my credit card."
Drouin said that after he bought the drinks, he moved to another area of the bar with his friends.
"While standing with a group of people," he said, "I was approached by a woman with a cellphone in hand, who mistakenly attempted to connect me with the alleged incident. We told her that she was mistaken."
The Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MP said he left the bar shortly afterward and informed the Prime Minister's Office and the Liberal Whip's office the following morning of what happened.
"The police have been gathering multiple witness statements and I have been cooperating fully," Drouin said in the post. " As I have already said, I believe that it is important for individuals to have a safe environment to come forward and be supported. I am confident that the facts of the issue will lead to a clear outcome."
The alleged incident happened shortly before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Liberal MPs participated in a workshop on how to foster harassment-free workplaces.
According to the Liberal Whip's office, Drouin remains in the Liberal caucus.
