MLA Robyn Luff sets conditions on return to legislature Wednesday

A Calgary MLA booted from the NDP caucus two weeks ago says she may return to the legislature on Wednesday if the Speaker commits to working on a transparent process to address bullying and harassment complaints from MLAs.

In a news release sent Monday, Calgary-East MLA Robyn Luff said she plans to meet with Speaker Bob Wanner  Wednesday morning, and will ask for an independent investigation into the bullying allegations she first raised two weeks ago.

She said she asked the premier's office for a similar investigation but her request was ignored.

Luff was kicked out of the NDP caucus on Nov. 5, the day she went public with claims about bullying within the NDP caucus and a culture of fear and intimidation fostered by the party leadership. She alleged MLAs were told what to say and how to vote inside the legislature, leaving backbenchers with little agency to represent their constituents' concerns.

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Luff has been boycotting the legislature in protest. Last week, she asked constituents at a public meeting what she should do. She said most told her to return to her seat in the assembly. 

Luff also included the text of an email she said she sent to Premier Rachel Notley on Nov. 10. In that email, Luff told Notley she had heard from political and caucus staff concerned about the lack of a transparent process to deal with bullying and harassment.

She said spouses of MLAs have told her their partners have been bullied.

"This leads me to believe that a respectful workplace policy people trust is not in place within caucus, with political staff, or with MLAs," Luff wrote in the email.

Several days after Luff made her allegations, Notley told reporters they were "without foundation."

Luff asked the premier what process was followed to make that determination, and why she wasn't offered the dispute resolution process by the deadline she set.

She ended her email by warning Notley the issue won't go away.

"If you choose to ignore me, I will have no other option but to escalate this further," she wrote.