Can aspiring politicians be trained to behave correctly in the workplace?

A B.C. expert in democratic institutions says the resignations of two Progressive Conservative leaders amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour underscores the need for aspiring politicians to go through workplace training.

Max Cameron, the director of the University of British Columbia's Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, says the leaders' resignations contribute to the ongoing discussion around sexual harassment in politics and showcase a need to "clean up" the political workplace.

"I do think we need better rules and better institutions, but it's also very important to improve the people who are engaged in politics by preparing them to be more ethical practitioners," said Cameron during CBC's B.C. Almanac.

In Ontario, Patrick Brown stepped down as leader of the province's Progressive Conservative party early Thursday after a former female staffer claimed Brown made sexual advances toward her when she was still a teenager.

Hours earlier, Brown called the allegations "categorically untrue."

And on Wednesday, Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative Party said it requested and accepted Jamie Baillie's resignation as its leader, following an independent, third-party investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Learn gender dynamics

Thursday saw federal Sport and Disabilities MInister Kent Hehr resign amid sexual harassment allegations.

The CBC interview was conducted before Hehr's resignation. Cameron's comments were based on the resignations of Brown and Baillie.

Cameron coordinates UBC's Summer Institute for Future Legislators, a program where participants learn the importance of healthy gender dynamics through role-playing and simulations.

Through his program, students who are interested in going into politics have a chance to reflect on their interactions, and identify how inappropriate behaviour could potentially occur.

Cameron said the long string of sexual misconduct allegations in the public sphere has created dialogue among B.C.'s next generation of aspiring politicians.

"Encouraging people to be sensitive to the way in which different gender dynamics can play out in a situation, in which people have to work together in teams, is really critical," said Cameron. 

His goal is for his students to come away with a degree of awareness as to how their behaviour affects other people, which he says is a big step on the path toward a less hostile workplace. 

With files from B.C. Almanac