Marwan Tabbara is a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons. His riding is Kitchener South-Hespeler, located in southern Ontario. He has been in office since 2015.
In recent years, the Liberal Party of Canada has been engulfed in a number of high-profile scandals. Some of them involving members at the highest levels of the party. Tabbara is not a front-bencher in Parliament, but he has found himself in the middle of another scandal.
Arrested for assault and other charges
In April of this year, The Chronicle Herald reports that Tabbara was in Guelph, Ontario.
Guelph is not far from his riding, and Tabbara had spent a lot of time there in the past. It's not clear at this point what exactly happened there. But it resulted in Tabbara being arrested, though it wasn't announced to the public at the time.
He is charged with assault, criminal harassment, and the equivalent of breaking and entering. Parties involved are not releasing much for details at this time, fueling speculation as to what could have happened.
For his part, Tabbara indicated that the events are connected to him being treated for anxiety and depression. Issues he has apparently been dealing with for quite some time. He said that 'every incident of violence is unacceptable and inexcusable.' But beyond that, he said it would be 'inappropriate' for him comment further at this point.
It seems at this point that Tabbara does not intend to resign from his seat in Parliament. However, he is taking a step back from having an active role in Parliamentary policies and legislation. Instead, he reportedly plans on focusing on matters at a more local level and doing things like helping his constituents get access to federal services and benefits.
The CBC reports that Liberal Party leadership members are aware of the situation. Mark Holland, the whip of the Liberal caucus, said they were taking 'this issue very seriously.' There also hasn't been much in the way of words coming from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said that it is 'looking into the matter.'
It could be a while before more details about the case reach the public.
A court ruling has banned the publication of evidence and proceedings. Which means the mystery is likely to continue for a while to come yet.
Tabbara had not held a political office before
Tabbara had not before occupied a political office before joining the House of Commons. He held various jobs in the past. Among them, he was working as a line technician at a Frito Lay plant.
He is a native of Lebanon. When he was a child, he and his family moved to Canada because of the Lebanese Civil War. Later, he graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Political Science and Government.
