The Conservative caucus met today for the first time of the New Year, and that also included sixteen of the eighteen new Senators-to-be (as they haven’t yet been officially sworn in). One of the eighteen was absent because of travel considerations, the other because they haven’t resigned their seat in the BC legislature yet.
But of those sixteen that were present, things get even more interesting for Patrick Brazeau. That saga, which erupted on Tuesday, got even more heated when another former employee came forward yesterday and not only backed up the earlier claims of sexual harassment, but added that Brazeau’s organisation fostered sexual exploitation and was an environment where people were drinking in their offices. This particular claimant was a contract worker for the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, and her grievance was similarly handled by an outside mediation firm to the “satisfaction of the board,” but her contract expired and she wasn’t kept on. Small surprise there, considering how toxic she described the office environment turning once she filed her grievance.
It was also revealed in the Globe and Mail article that Brazeau is drawing a six-figure salary from the CAP, which he wants to keep on top of the six-figure salary he would draw as a Senator. The kicker is that his salary from the CAP largely comes from various government departments. If the potential conflict of interest doesn’t get any more glaring, I’m not sure what else does. Brazeau should have to decide one job or the other, and with these allegations dogging him, he should choose wisely.
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