Premier Doug Ford must order an independent investigation into a 2017 sexual harassment allegation against Finance Minister Vic Fedeli and ask him to temporarily step down, says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.Horwath said the accusation, detailed in a new book by former PC leader Patrick Brown, cannot go ignored.But Ford told the legislature Thursday the matter was previously investigated by a third party, and “zero evidence came out; there wasn’t a shred of evidence.”Fedeli, speaking to reporters later in the day after unveiling his first fall economic statement, called the allegation “false and malicious,” adding he has “retained legal counsel and will take whatever action is necessary to hold any person making these false accusations” accountable. He repeatedly refused to take further questions on the issue.Horwath, however, said “there are still a lot of questions that remain unanswered, and people in Ontario deserve the answers.“We have a cabinet minister — really one of the top cabinet positions — who is implicated in this situation and it really begs the questions about Mr. Ford’s choices when it comes to his cabinet ministers.”In the legislature, PC MPPs — both male and female — wore yellow ties in a show of support of Fedeli, a signature accessory for the politician who represents Nipissing and is a former mayor of North Bay.Government House Leader Todd Smith later said that reporters in the Queen’s Park press gallery were aware of an accusation against Fedeli months ago, “and refused to report on them because they knew in their hearts that these were baseless allegations.”Brown’s new book, Takedown: The Attempted Political Assassination of Patrick Brown says that a female staffer “accused Fedeli of inappropriate behaviour” last year. She did not pursue a formal complaint. (Brown himself was ousted as Tory leader in January after CTV ...
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