McPhedran forging ahead with support for Senate staffers harassed on the job
OTTAWA — A Manitoba senator is forging ahead with a plan to offer support to anyone who has experienced sexual misconduct while working in the upper chamber, even if she is not allowed to use her office budget to pay the lawyer she hired to help shoulder the burden.
“We’re not stopping,” Independent Sen. Marilou McPhedran said Tuesday.
Last month, McPhedran set up a confidential email address (confidential@mariloumcphedran.com) and invited anyone who has been an employee, intern or volunteer at the Senate since 2006 to speak directly to her, or be referred to a lawyer.
The idea is to offer a safe and confidential way to figure out their next steps, if any, and decide whether they want to pass along information that could help others avoid similar misconduct — in some cases without even having to name the perpetrator.