Former Liberal MP Kent Hehr is returning to politics to run for mayor of Calgary three years after leaving his post due to sexual harassment allegations.
Hehr began his political journey in 2008 when he ran and won a seat in Alberta’s provincial legislature for the Calgary-Buffalo district. He subsequently transitioned to the federal level in 2015, winning a seat for Calgary Centre. Impressively, he was the first Liberal MP elected in roughly half a century for a Calgary riding.
Hehr managed to secure a position as associate minister of national defence, veteran affairs, and of sport and persons with disabilities, and was routinely demoted through his tenure.
However, despite this resume, Hehr felt compelled to resign in 2018 following two allegations from Liberal employees, leaving a blight on his career.
In one instance, an employee claims that Hehr groped her at a caucus party in 2016; in another, Kristin Raworth, a former Alberta legislature staffer, claims that Hehr made sexually inappropriate comments while working alongside her as an MLA.
The Prime Minister’s Office had a lawyer investigate the claims, but the findings have never been released. The two accusers have seen the report but have not obtained copies — they say the report confirms the founding of their claims.
I am not ok with today’s #yyccc news for so many reasons. But mostly, as a woman who has been assaulted who didn’t have the courage to speak out, I can’t be silent in this moment. I am not ok, not even a little bit.
— Kourtney Branagan (@KourtBranagan) September 6, 2021
Hehr says that he does not remember making sexually inappropriate comments; though, he apologizes if he “unintentionally” made people uncomfortable. He says that the report confirmed this, with the report dealing more with the allegations of inappropriate physical contact.
“I have no feeling or independent movement in my hands,” Hehr said in a statement after the investigation. “While my disability explains much, it does not dismiss the feelings of those with whom I interact.”
Additionally, two other political employees have told the CBC that people cautioned them of Hehr and that other women have had a similar experience — though they have not come forward to corroborate these claims.
