Open this photo in gallery

       Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau reveals his party's election platform during the federal election campaign in Toronto on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.

       Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

       The NDP and Conservatives are accusing Justin Trudeau of a pattern of turning a blind eye when it comes to misconduct complaints, as the Liberal Leader defended for a second day a candidate who faces several allegations of inappropriate behaviour, saying “multiple processes” were followed to investigate the claims.

       Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh both cited a case involving in the Canadian Armed Forces, in which the Liberals were criticized for not doing enough to follow up on an allegation of sexual harassment that was raised with the Prime Minister’s Office.

       CBC News on Tuesday reported that concerns were raised with Mr. Trudeau’s office dating back to 2015 about Raj Saini’s behaviour toward young female staffers, which included four allegations of unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate comments. The Globe and Mail has not independently verified the allegations.

       Mr. Saini said in a statement on Tuesday that he has never acted inappropriately toward staff or constituents. He said he was only made aware of one allegation and that the individual did not to pursue a formal or informal complaint. Mr. Saini added that a third-party review of his office conducted through the House of Commons “found that nothing arose regarding concerns of harassment in the office.”

       Mr. O’Toole said if his party forms the next government, he would have a “zero-tolerance culture” for misconduct and sexual harassment. “That will be our approach,” he said on Wednesday in Ottawa.

       “This is a pattern with Mr. Trudeau and his office: no accountability and a culture of cover-up. We saw this in the Canadian Armed Forces. ... Now, we see the same culture of cover-up was taking place with their own paid staff members.”

       For a second day on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau stood by Mr. Saini, a two-term MP who is running for re-election in the Southwestern Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre.

       Asked to explain why Mr. Saini is still welcome in the Liberal fold, Mr. Trudeau said, “We are extremely, extremely strong on ensuring that everyone has a right to being in a safe workplace.”

       “Mr. Saini has shared details about the multiple processes that have been gone through over the past many months and the efforts that have been made to demonstrate that we are taking seriously every single concern that is raised,” the Liberal Leader added.

       The party did not immediately explain what processes Mr. Trudeau was referring to. In a statement to The Globe on Tuesday, Mr. Saini referred to one investigation. He also said concerns raised from that probe regarding his own safety were sent to the Waterloo Regional Police.

       Story continues below advertisement

       “We make sure that there are proper, rigorous processes that everyone gets to go through when they come forward with concerns and allegations,” Mr. Trudeau said on Wednesday.

       Asked if a third party should be called in to investigate the allegations, Mr. Trudeau said, “We always draw on independent processes to follow up on issues that come forward.” The Liberal Leader did not explain what process was used in the complaints against Mr. Saini.

       The NDP said someone facing the same allegations as Mr. Saini would not have been allowed to be a candidate.

       “The powerful example of how the Liberals continue to ignore women is in the Canadian Forces. This is a pattern of behaviour,” Mr. Singh said. “... These concerns were raised and this example raised some time ago and then nothing was done to follow up.”

       The Liberals did not have a formal complaints process for political staff at the time of the first incident in 2015, a senior Liberal source told The Globe on Tuesday. One was set up in 2017, when the PMO launched its Harassment Resolution and Investigation Office. It is led by Brett Thalmann, who is executive director for planning, administration and people, and responsible for human resources. The source said junior staffers do not trust the internal complaints process because the person responsible for their career advancement also manages complaints.

       The Globe is not identifying the source because they were not permitted to discuss internal issues.

       Follow the party leaders and where they stand on the issues this election campaign by signing up for our Morning or Evening Update newsletters.

       For subscribers only: Get exclusive political news and analysis by signing up for the Politics Briefing.