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A rehabilitative approach is no longer possible. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh

Weir sent out a long news release on Thursday morning, before Singh’s press conference, in which he called the investigation “deeply flawed,” and claimed that Singh’s office solicited complaints from his female staff.

“Before the investigation, I had no idea I had done anything unwelcome,” Weir said in the statement. “When I read a summary of complaints, it became clear that I was sometimes slow to pick up on social cues.”

A spokesperson for Singh denied that his office solicited complaints, saying the investigation “was communicated publicly and internally” and that staff were directed to bring any complaints to the independent investigator.

Weir claimed that he and Singh agreed on April 19 that he would be reinstated, provided he complete training and participate in conciliation with complainants, and planned an announcement for April 27 that was later delayed.

Photo by Don Healy/Leader-Post

Singh’s spokesperson said no final decision was ever made, and no announcement was scheduled. He said the process of approaching complainants about conciliation had not been completed before Weir was expelled.

On May 1, CBC News published a story with allegations from one complainant who said she felt physically intimidated by Weir. In his statement, Weir said he initially declined to comment for the story, but “felt compelled to respond to the complaint” after the story was published. In a statement on Tuesday, he alleged that a member of former leader Tom Mulcair’s staff made an unfounded complaint of harassment against him in retaliation for his questioning the Trudeau government’s carbon-tax plan.

Weir said the decision to expel him on Wednesday was made because he commented publicly about the investigation. “Expulsion is a vastly harsher punishment than applied to many other New Democratic MPs who have, at times, commented publicly without the leader’s explicit authorization,” he said.

On Thursday, Singh said Weir’s public comments could have identified one of the complainants. “A rehabilitative approach is no longer possible,” he told reporters.