A former Alberta United Conservative government employee is trying to force Premier Jason Kenney to appear in court over his wrongful dismissal case.
Ariella Kimmel accused her of being fired for speaking out and trying to change what she describes as a toxic culture of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior among political employees in the United Conservative government.
None of these allegations have been substantiated in court and Premier Jason Kenney has not been specifically named in the indictment.
The government denies these allegations and says it has adequately responded to complaints it has received about sexual harassment. Following Ariella Kimmel’s lawsuit, the Alberta government hired an expert, Jamie Pytel, to review its policies and provide a report and recommendations on the matter.
As part of the lawsuit, Ariella Kimmel’s lawyer Kathryn Marshall asked the prime minister to testify, which the government denied.
We are moving a motion for a court order forcing the Prime Minister to testify, as the government refused to make him availableexplanation by Kathryn Marshall in a statement.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it had not yet received a copy of this motion and since the matter was before the courts, it could not comment.
The court will decide on Jason Kenney’s motion to appear later this month. If the judge allows it, the Prime Minister will have to testify on June 17. If he refuses, he could be found in contempt of court.
Attorney Kathryn Marshall is also trying to get a copy of Pytel’s report, which was commissioned by the Kenney government.
There is information from Elise von Scheel
Source: Radio-Canada
