OTTAWA -- Former prime minister Stephen Harper was aware one of his MPs had been accused of sexual assault but let him remain on the ballot in the 2015 election.
In a statement late Friday night, Harper said his understanding of the matter involving Rick Dykstra was that the case had been investigated by the police and closed a year prior.
"Given this understanding of the situation, I did not believe that I could justify removing him as a candidate," Harper said in a statement posted on Twitter late Friday after days of questions about what he and other party officials knew and when.
The allegations concern a 2014 incident involving Dykstra, who was then a Conservative member of Parliament, and a staff member on Parliament Hill. They were reported in Maclean's magazine earlier this week.
They have not been tested in court nor independently confirmed by The Canadian Press and Dykstra has denied them, though he stepped down as president of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party after they were made public.
Harper said more information has now come to light, including that the original investigation may not have been complete.
He said that in his view, it is essential that criminal allegations, "including this one," be fully investigated and prosecuted if warranted.
That Dykstra was able to remain on the ballot when other candidates for the party during that election were let go for seemingly lesser infractions -- one, for example, for being caught on video years prior urinating into a cup -- caused much consternation in the party's rank-and-file this week.
Several MPs called for the party to clear up what had happened after differing accounts from campaign staff and executives emerged in the media.
"I have never hesitated to remove candidates or caucus members," Harper said.
"My standard has been that either there are facts that justify such removal or allegations that trigger investigation. Sexual assault is a heinous crime and intolerable in any environment."
Concern over how the matter was handled prompted current leader Andrew Scheer to order an independent third-party investigation.
The details of that have not been announced but Scheer has pledged to make the findings public.
In his statement, Harper noted that there are discussions all over the world about how to protect sexual assault victims and encourage them to come forward.
"At the same time, we must have some basic standards of process to try and ensure fairness for all involved," Harper said.
"This is a healthy conversation and I hope it brings about positive change for everyone."
