NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is welcoming Quebec MP Christine Moore back into his caucus after an investigation found no evidence that she acted inappropriately toward a Canadian Forces veteran.
Singh revealed the findings of an independent probe into Moore’s alleged actions on Thursday, two months after she was accused of abusing her position of power during a sexual relationship with the veteran, Glen Kirkland.
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Moore’s personal life was thrust into the national spotlight in early May. The MP for the Quebec riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue, began a brief relationship with Kirkland after he testified before her and other members of a parliamentary committee on June 5, 2013.
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Kirkland, who is from Manitoba, alleged that Moore offered him several drinks in her office after his committee appearance that day, persisting even after he told her he was taking various drugs that could interact with alcohol.
The two had a consensual sexual encounter that night, but the veteran then alleged that Moore followed up with explicit messages, and eventually an unannounced visit to his home.
Moore has vehemently denied that she ever acted inappropriately, and said she would sue Kirkland and the journalists who reported his story for defamation.
Singh requested that a third-party investigator be brought in to review the allegations, and temporarily suspended Moore from caucus duties. The probe lasted two months, and Singh described it on Thursday as “exhaustive.” He said it included interviews with several witnesses and a review of all available evidence.
Singh also confirmed that Kirkland declined to participate in the investigation.
The third-party investigator, Deborah Jelly, concluded that the accusations against Moore were not based on any concrete evidence, Singh said, adding that Moore did not “engage in any harassment, or sexual harassment or abuse her position of power.”
The NDP leader added that the situation has been “very difficult” for Moore and her family, and extended his thanks for “her patience and her cooperation.”
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Speaking from her riding on Thursday afternoon, Moore said she always knew that she had done nothing wrong. She expressed relief at the report’s conclusion and thanked her constituents for their support over the last two months.
Moore reiterated that she would pursue her defamation case in court, and said she has no idea what motivated Kirkland’s accusations.
In mid-May, Moore outlined her version of the sequence of events in 2013, focusing on several facts (like her presence for votes in the House of Commons the night they met) that she said contradict Kirkland’s story. She described a completely consensual, if brief, relationship between the two that summer.