Liberal MP Raj Saini announced that he is no longer running for reelection after weeks of outrage regarding his history of sexual misconduct allegations.
#BREAKING: Liberal Raj Saini announces he is no longer running in the federal election – “For everyone’s health and safety I have taken the painful decision to end my campaign for the 44th Parliament.” #cdnpoli
— Laura Stone (@l_stone) September 4, 2021
In a statement released on September 4, Saini claims that the statements made about him are “unequivocally false. I have never acted inappropriately towards staff, volunteers, or consultants.”
He then claims that the outrage over his alleged past conduct is wholly stemming from a hit piece released by the CBC on August 31, which circulated widely.
“The false allegations have been reported uncritically and at face value, and consistently repeated in other news stories,” Saini said. “Furthermore, the false allegations are now being referenced widely in statements by other prominent individuals.”
Saini then says that due to the gravity of the allegations and their wide propagation, he has “taken the painful decision” to end his campaign and will focus his attention on challenging “these defamatory, false allegations.”
Allegations of Saini’s misconduct go back six years and involved several Liberal staffers and employees.
In one instance, a senior staffer alleged that the events she experienced in Saini’s office left her so mentally unwell that she attempted suicide in Saini’s office, followed by filing a Canada Human Rights complaint against him.
“I remember being incredibly stressed out, feeling completely helpless,” the staffer said. “I felt like he had shown he could do pretty much anything he wanted to do to me. I felt like there was nowhere for me to turn.
“That’s pretty devastating to me, knowing what I have gone through and that I’ve raised concerns over the last more than [a] year and a half,” she continued. “It’s disturbing to me…. It’s also concerning to me that it could continue to happen to other people.”
The Counter Signal reached out to Saini last week after reignited concern over his running for reelection.
At the time, Saini said, “Protecting my staff and ensuring they are respected is not something I take lightly. As you can appreciate, I can’t discuss specifics regarding this matter, in order to protect the privacy of all those involved.”
He also said that he “insisted [that] an independent third-party review of [his] office take place through the House of Commons. The outcome of that review, which was completed in June 2020, found that nothing arose regarding concerns of harassment in the office.”
Additionally, Saini provided files to the Waterloo Regional Police, who “took action to mediate the situation and ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
