Halifax Regional Police have concluded their investigation into an Ontario MP accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a bar in Halifax, determining there were no grounds to lay charges.
Francis Drouin, 34, MP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, was in town to attend the 2018 National Liberal Convention on the weekend of April 21-22.
“I am pleased that it has been resolved based on the facts. I will have no further comment,” Drouin said in a terse statement on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Liberal MP says sexual assault accusation the result of mistaken identity
The assault allegedly occurred at the Halifax Alehouse between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. on April 21. Police were alerted to the assault later that afternoon.
The Alehouse, a popular pub located on Brunswick Street, is only a block from the Nova Centre convention centre — which hosted the 2018 National Liberal Convention.
Police have not identified the woman who had filed the complaint.
Drouin has said that the accusation is the result of mistaken identity. In a statement released after the investigation began, Drouin says he arrived at an establishment in downtown Halifax at approximately 2 a.m.
He said that at the Alehouse, his party approached the bar to buy a round of drinks.
“While I was standing facing the bar, with my credit card in hand, I heard what I believed to be a woman’s voice coming from another area of the establishment behind me, yelling that her buttocks had been grabbed,” Drouin said in his statement.
“Her comments were clearly not directed towards me.”
WATCH: Alleged sexual assault by Liberal MP being investigated by Halifax Regional Police
Drouin says he turned around and yelled “Get that man out of here” to draw attention to the incident before turning back to the bar to pay for his drinks.
The 34-year-old says he and the rest of his party moved to another area of the establishment.
“Several minutes later, while standing with a group of people, I was approached by a woman with a cellphone in hand, who mistakenly attempted to connect me with the alleged incident. We told her that she was mistaken,” Drouin writes in his statement.
He then says his party left the bar.
That afternoon he says he proactively informed the Prime Minister’s Office and the office of the Liberal Party Whip of the alleged incident.
The alleged incident occurred on the weekend when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with many other high-ranking Liberal party members, attended a seminar on sexual violence prevention titled “From MeToo to never again: creating safe work environments.”
The 34-year-old has been described as a rising star in the Liberal party and moderated a panel at the convention with Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay.
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