House Speaker Chris Collins has given up his duties at the legislature after being suspended from the Liberal caucus last week over harassment allegations.
Premier Brian Gallant says Collins made the request by letter, and the legislative administration committee accepted it during a meeting on Monday.
“I can also tell you that they discussed the fact that there will be an independent third-party investigation into this matter,” says Gallant.
Gallant previously said he would ask the committee to suspend Collins pending the investigation.
The premier says he can’t say much about the nature of the allegations because he’s not one of the few people who has seen the official complaint.
“So we’re going to let that investigation unfold … where everybody gets to have a fair process,” he says.
The Progressive Conservatives have been critical of Gallant’s handling of the allegations, saying the premier has been aware of them since mid-February.
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