Marwan Tabbara

Marwan Rached Tabbara (born August 23, 1984) is a Canadian politician who currently represents the riding of Kitchener South—Hespeler in the House of Commons of Canada. He was first elected in the 2015 federal election as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and re-elected in 2019. MP Tabbara presently sits as an independent MP, after stepping down from the Liberal Caucus in 2020. 
Early life.
Marwan Tabbara was born in Beirut, Lebanon on August 23, 1984. Four years later, his family immigrated to Canada to flee the ongoing Lebanese Civil War.
Early career.
After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Government from the University of Guelph, Tabbara took several construction jobs in the summer before working at the Frito Lay plant in Cambridge, where he worked as a line technician. He also worked as a field supervisor for a management company doing quality control work within the automotive industry.
Member of Parliament.
2015 comments on the Middle East.
For the 2015 federal election, during a Kitchener South—Hespeler debate, Tabbara mentioned that Jean Chrétien refused to send troops into Afghanistan when he was prime minister even though Canada began sending troops to Afghanistan in 2001 during Chretien's tenure. Tabbara's statement was challenged by Conservative candidate Marian Gagne to which he replied "So is bombing Syrian children OK?" Tabbara apologized for the comments.
Controversy.
On April 9, 2020, Tabbara was arrested by police in Guelph, Ontario on charges that included two counts of alleged assault, one count of "break and enter and commit an indictable offence" and one count of criminal harassment. 
On June 5, 2020 it was reported that he is "stepping back from the Liberal caucus" but not resigning as an MP after the charges were revealed. Tabbara was jailed and bailed on Easter Friday 2020. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Caucus were unaware of these charges, as the Guelph Police did not issue a media release. Tabbara's bail hearing was done remotely by a Justice of the Peace 120km away from the jailhouse he occupied. 
MP Tabbara's trial was repeatedly pushed back on a monthly basis stemming from multiple delays, including the COVID-19 pandemic, from August 28th, 2020 to now May 14th, 2021. It was confirmed during the December 11th appearance in Court that Marwan would give up his section 11(b) rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the right to be tried within a reasonable time). On April 16th, 2021 the MP’s case was briefly addressed in case management court in Guelph and was adjourned to May 14,2021. A judicial pretrial could be set by then. A court order bans publication of details of the allegations. 
Tabbara was subject to past allegations by an anonymous party source of misconduct. Specifically, sexual harassment that constituted inappropriate touching and unwelcome sexual comments directed at a female staffer during the 2015 election campaign. An internal investigation into the allegations was conducted by the Liberal Party and Tabbara was approved to seek re-election in 2019. 