A woman who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is appealing a court decision that would move the case from Newfoundland and Labrador to Quebec.
Cherry Smiley claims that she was sexually harassed by former Northwest Territories premier Stephen Kakfwi during an event organized by the Trudeau Foundation, which had paired her with Kakfwi through a mentorship program.
Smiley’s lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, argues that a Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court judge made a mistake by ruling that he lacked jurisdiction, insisting that the case should be heard in Quebec.
According to Marshall, the alleged assault occurred in 2018 in St. John’s, and she believes her client would face linguistic and other barriers if the lawsuit is transferred to Quebec.
Marshall claims that the Quebec-based Trudeau Foundation is trying to delay the suit to pressure her client into abandoning the case.
As of now, neither representatives for Kakfwi nor for the foundation have issued immediate comments.
Kakfwi, who is also named in the lawsuit, has denied all allegations of sexual harassment.