Quintet Consulting received this harassment complaint during its internal investigation, but because it was outside the intended scope of the review, the firm forwarded it to the Privy Council Office (PCO) for processing.
Recall that the report written by the firm Quintet Consulting showed that Julie Payette and her secretary, Assunta Di Lorenzo, had created a toxic work environment. The report noted alleged cases of harassment and intimidation that prompted some employees to quit their jobs at Rideau Hall, while more than a dozen others went on sick leave.
The BCPPrivy Council Office has now forwarded the complaint to Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (BSGG) confirmed to CBC News that it received the complaint on Monday, but said it could not reveal details. The office said it was currently conducting a thorough examination of the complaint to take appropriate measures.
The details of harassment complaints are considered confidential and contain personal information. Therefore, the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General will not provide any information on the complaint it has received.
Every Government of Canada employee has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and the Government of Canada will always take this very seriously., for his part wrote the spokesperson for BCPPrivy Council Office, Pierre-Alain Bujold.
Julie Payette resigned from her post on January 21 after receiving a copy of the report from Quintet Consulting and meeting with the Prime Minister. Ms Payette’s longtime friend and former secretary Assunta Di Lorenzo also resigned on the same day.
Julie Payette at the announcement of her appointment as Governor General of Canada, July 13, 2017, in the Senate.
The Quintet Consulting report states shouting, yelling and aggressive behavior, degrading comments and public humiliation.
More than 90 people were interviewed and dozens rated their work environment as hostile or bad. Others used the words of toxic and D’poisoned; a few described the situation as a climate of fear or one reign of terror.
The report states that 13 people interviewed by the firm said they took sick leave during Ms. Payette’s tenure due to the work climate. Seventeen others said they quit their jobs because of the hostile environment created by the former Governor General.
According to the report, there was so much mistrust and fear that Rideau Hall employees said they had no way to voice their concerns. They said the institution’s human resource practices were inadequate and they had no way of reporting the environment really unhealthy other than by talking to the media.
Former Rideau Hall employees told CBC News that staff had in the past complained to human resources, managers, the ombudsman and union representatives at the office, but this did not lead to nowhere. Quintet Consulting had concluded thatthere is a serious problem that requires immediate attention from PCO.
Julie Payette defends herself
Since the media first revealed the existence of this toxic climate in July, Ms. Payette has always maintained that she takes workplace harassment issues very seriously and that no formal complaint has been filed while ‘she was Governor General.
While no formal complaints or grievances were filed during my tenure, which would immediately have triggered a detailed investigation as required by law and current collective agreements, I still take these allegations very seriously.
Since the publication of the report, Julie Payette has only admitted the existence of tensions at Rideau Hall.
Everyone has the right to a healthy and safe work environment at all times and under all circumstances. It appears that this has not always been the case in the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. Tensions have arisen at Rideau Hall over the past few months and I’m sorry, wrote Mrs. Payette in a press release the day of her resignation, on January 21.
