Kent Hehr resigns from Trudeau cabinet amid sexual harassment allegations

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Meeshika Sharma
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Federal Sport and Disabilities Minister Kent Hehr has resigned from cabinet pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.publive-image

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement from Davos, Switzerland, saying he had accepted Hehr's resignation awaiting the outcome of the probe.

Trudeau said,"Harassment of any kind is unacceptable and Canadians have a right to live and work in environments free from harassment."

"As a government, we take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and we believe that it is important to support women who come forward with allegations and that is exactly what our government will do."

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The resignation comes after posts to Twitter alleging inappropriate behaviour. A woman said Hehr made women feel "unsafe" and made verbally suggestive remarks, including "you're yummy."

The tweets said women felt fearful about getting in the same elevator with Hehr at the Alberta Legislature, where he was a member from 2008 to 2015, and that Hehr had made uwanted sexually suggestive comments.

Hehr issued a statement, "Throughout my career I have always tried to conduct myself with respect towards others, and I understand the most important thing is how each individual feels."

Hehr issued his own statement, stating that the conversation society is having is a "very important one" and encouraged all women who have experienced harassment to come forward.

He added, "I have been informed that an investigation into these allegations has begun and I welcome and respect this process. While this is ongoing, I have resigned from cabinet pending the outcome of the investigation. I do not want to be a distraction to all the good work ‎being done by our government."

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