Cliff Graydon returns to legislature after ousting for inappropriate behaviour

A Manitoba backbencher who was kicked out of the governing Progressive Conservative caucus for inappropriate behaviour towards female staff says he'll have a response at some point, but not immediately.

Cliff Graydon was tight-lipped Monday as he returned to the legislature for the first time since he was ousted from the Tory caucus last week.

Graydon did not stop to talk to reporters as they followed him after question period an excursion that saw him walk down a flight of stairs and try in vain to enter two offices before realizing his key did not work.

"Right now is not a good time. I need to go and take care of my health. Excuse me," Graydon said when asked what he had to say.

"I will have a statement in good time," he said, continuing to walk.

Media reports earlier this month quoted unnamed sources as saying Graydon invited two women on separate occasions to sit on his lap, and suggested another lick food off his face.

Graydon acknowledged one encounter in a written statement two weeks ago, and said he had apologized for making inappropriate remarks.

Premier Brian Pallister has not discussed details of what happened, and said he wants to respect the privacy of those who came forward.

The Tory caucus voted to kick Graydon out after what chairman Wayne Ewasko called "a pattern of inappropriate behaviour."

Graydon, in his early 70s, has said he intends to serve out his term but will not run for re-election in 2020. He now sits as an Independent in the legislature, and has said he needs to go on medical leave for an undisclosed health issue.

Graydon stayed silent Monday as reporters followed him further and asked repeatedly whether he felt he had been treated fairly. He eventually took a staircase to the legislature basement and left media behind.

The controversy is not the first for Graydon, who has represented the Emerson constituency near the United States border since 2007. He faced trouble last winter when he used social media to call asylum-seekers who had been crossing the border "a drain on society." He also retweeted other people's posts that called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a traitor, a scumbag and a disgrace.

Graydon apologized, deleted the tweets and agreed to step back from social media and undergo sensitivity training, the details of which were never made public.