Top Conservative says Dykstra investigation plagued with perception problems
OTTAWA — The investigation of how the Conservative party handled a sexual-assault allegation against former Tory MP Rick Dykstra in the last federal election campaign is wrapping up, but a former top Conservative says the process has been flawed.
Dykstra denies any misconduct but resigned in January as the president of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party after the years-old allegation was made public. But it then came out that federal Conservative party officials, including then-prime minister Stephen Harper, were told of the allegation during the 2015 campaign and allowed Dykstra to continue as a candidate.
He ultimately lost his St. Catharines seat and moved into provincial politics.
The federal Conservative party hired Toronto lawyer Carol Nielsen in March to review the events around the allegations and seek information to help the party create policies for such cases.