HALIFAX -- A communications director with the Nova Scotia Liberal party who pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman in 2014 has stepped down after the opposition questioned his reinstatement and involvement in the provincial election campaign.
In a letter to campaign chairman Chris MacInnes today, Kyley Harris says he has tried to make amends but "it is clear that is not possible in the current political climate."
Harris says he can accept that he will continue to be punished for the incident, but did not want his colleagues and Premier Stephen McNeil "to bear that burden any longer."
Last week, McNeil defended his decision to reinstate Harris who pleaded guilty to the assault charge.
McNeil said he deserved "a second chance" after being handed a conditional discharge for striking a woman in the face during a domestic argument on May 9, 2014.
The matter resurfaced after federal Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose said on social media that his re-hiring sends a "terrible message," and that Liberal leaders "need to walk the talk on violence against women."
