Young women face ‘pervasive’ culture of sex harassment in Canadian politics

Following allegations against Patrick Brown, advocates for female leaders say ‘it’s time’ to bring #metoo movement to Canadian politics

Thestar.com
Jan. 25, 2018
Alex Mckeen

The day after Ontario’s former opposition leader was accused by two young women of sexual misconduct, advocates for female leaders are lamenting how long it’s taken the #metoo movement to gain momentum in Canadian politics.

Patrick Brown denied the allegations late Wednesday and vowed to defend himself vigorously. He resigned as party leader hours later.

Multiple sources contacted by the Star on Thursday described a “pervasive” culture within Canadian politics, whereby women -- especially young women in the early stages of their career -- face unwelcome sexual advances from men in positions of power.

“It’s comments, it’s subtle touches. And then it grows into something bigger and at that point you have accepted the fact that this is part of the job description,” said Arezoo Najibzadeh, co-founder of the Young Women’s Leadership Network.

Najibzadeh said her organization, which is funded by Ontario Trillium Fund, intentionally creates space for women to discuss sexual harassment in the political and civic spheres, since they may not have other outlets to do so.

Some are calling for stronger workplace protections for political staffers

Former NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo said the mechanisms in place at Queen’s Park fall short for politicians and their staff to seek recourse over misconduct.

“There has to be a neutral body that members can go to complain to that has nothing to do with their political careers, nothing to do with their political party and who’s only interest is their protection and their safety. I think that policy and that procedure is not in place,” DiNovo said.

Legislative assembly staff can go to the non-partisan HR department in the Speaker’s office, which has a harassment and discrimination policy that is not public. But DiNovo said it doesn’t clearly spell out “how one can complain, what would come of that, who to complain to (and) that it’s not going to get back to the leader of your party.”

Depending on the party and office they work in, some provincial political staffers are covered through caucus services -- a partisan entity.

“We have to make it so this isn’t about your political future -- it’s about a safe place to work,” DiNovo said. “That’s exactly what women need and that’s exactly what people who don’t have power need in that environment.”

Lauren Dobson-Hughes is one former staffer who said a culture of sexual harassment runs deep in Canadian politics.

She spent her early working years as a political staffer, beginning around the age of 22. She worked for multiple MPs and Jack Layton. Allegations like those Brown is now facing have major political implications, she said.

“But I think it would be wrong to see them just through that lens. There are two brave women who have come forward and put themselves on the line  and taken a big risk in doing so,” she said.

She, and “the majority” of women she knew in politics, experienced harassment on the job, she said, and certain systems in place -- like late-night work sessions--enabled that sort of behaviour.

“It hits close to home for so many women in politics, and I don’t know if everybody understands that,” she said. “References to sex lives, women’s sex lives, comments on women’s appearance, grabbing, touching, groping, unwanted kisses -- that would be normal.”

“It’s not a massive leap to think that then some men would act on that,” she said.

When issues of harassment or inappropriate behaviour were raised, she said very little happened.

“There were no formal processes at all really. So even if you wanted to raise it, you probably wouldn’t. You wouldn’t know where to go,” she said. “All the incentives were not to raise it, right? Because you didn’t want to damage the party, you didn’t want to cause a media firestorm that would embarrass them, you didn’t want to damage their electoral chances or the chances of any one MP being elected. So all of the incentives were to bury it, to ignore it.”

With so little job security staff, she said, can be “fired at will”  the fear in speaking out would be that you’d be let go or your contract wouldn’t be renewed.

“Then you won’t be hired again in that sector,” she said. “You’ll be known as the person who couldn’t keep their mouth shut or toe the party line.”

Natasha Kornak, who meets with political representatives through her work advocating for changes to sexual assault education, said “there are a lot of open secrets in politics about who to avoid.”

“I’ve been told don’t be alone in a room with this individual,” she said. “Don’t be alone in an elevator with this person.”

The core of the problem, in Najibzadeh’s view, is a power dynamic that leaves young women and marginalized people lacking “social and political capital to say no” to men in politics.

For that reason marginalized women, queer women and racialized women, may be especially impacted, she said.

“It shook me when . . . a young woman told me: ‘they will make you want to leave without even laying a hand on you,’ ” Najibzadeh said.

Though pervasive, Najibzadeh said, the issue of sexual harassment in politics hasn’t garnered much attention in Canada so far.

“That’s very discouraging — especially when you look at the number of young women who enter politics as volunteers then as interns and compare that with the number of women who end up running for office and the number of women who have executive or senior roles within political parties or government,” she said.

The #metoo social media movement is capturing the scope of the impact of sexual harassment and violence by inviting women to share their stories. It exploded after sexual assault allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein were publicly revealed last year.