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OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has hired an interim chief of staff whose previous management of several sexual harassment cases in Manitoba has been criticized.

The hiring of Michael Balagus, a well-known strategist in New Democrat circles, follows a number of allegations of sexual misconduct levelled at some of the party’s former members, prompting Singh to commit to creating a safer work environment for women.

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The appointment is a disappointment to Joelle Saltel-Allard, a former press secretary who says her complaint of sexual harassment against a Manitoba cabinet minister was not taken seriously.

“If Mr. Singh wants to create a safe environment, it won’t be by hiring Michael Balagus,” she said in an interview, adding the hire is a bit of a contradiction.

“For myself, it’s a demonstration that we put politics — the desire to win — ahead of the safety of women,” she added.

Balagus said earlier this year that Saltel-Allard’s complaint was never reported to him.