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[[File:Ottawa - Rideau Hall - Guérite.JPG|thumb|The viceregal badge seen outside of [[Rideau Hall]]]]
The '''2020–21 Rideau Hall workplace review''' was an external review by Quintet Consulting of the [[Workplace bullying|workplace culture]] at [[Rideau Hall]]–which hosts the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general of Canada]] and her staff–initiated by the [[Privy Council Office (Canada)|Privy Council Office]] following allegations of harassment and verbal abuse by Governor General [[Julie Payette]] and her [[Secretary to the Governor General of Canada|secretary]]. The review ultimately produced a report concluding that Payette and di Lorenzo presided over a toxic work environment and the resignation of Payette as Governor General.
== Background ==
=== Appointment of Payette ===
On July 13, 2017, Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] announced his recommendation of Julie Payette to succeed [[David Johnston]] as the 29th governor general of Canada. Payette was formally appointed by the Queen on October 2, 2017.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The role of the governor general is to represent the [[Monarchy of Canada|monarch of Canada]], [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] when she is not in the country and includes granting [[royal assent]] to legislation passed by [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]], and dissolving Parliament for an election on the advice of the Prime Minister.<ref name=":0">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=":1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
Trudeau's method of selection for the role was criticized for failing to appropriately vet candidates, as the [[Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments]] established in 2012,<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> was left dormant following Trudeau taking office in 2015.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> Following the 2021 resignations, critics alleged that "[b]ack in 2017, when he picked the former astronaut, Mr. Trudeau and his advisers were apparently so enthralled with ticking those symbolic boxes, of installing the candidate who neatly fit the image, that they obviously didn’t do enough to check on who she really was",<ref></ref> blaming the government and the Privy Council Office for "failing to spot red flags before Payette’s appointment, and then failing to act once the media had highlighted them."<ref name=":2">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
=== Toxic workplace allegations ===
On July 21, 2020, [[CBC News]] reported that Rideau Hall staff faced harassment and verbal abuse by the Governor General. Sources detail that early into her tenure, Payette would question staff regarding topics unrelated to what was being discussed at meetings, such as by "put[ing] staff on the spot by quizzing them about outer space". Payette was alleged to also have thrown tantrums in her office, yell at and belittle employees, and refer to their work as "shit". Staffers were seen leaving her office in tears.<ref></ref>
Secretary to the Governor General Assunta di Lorenza, who manages the Office of the Governor General also was reported to bully staff, calling them lazy and incompetent.<ref name=":0" /> The position of secretary is typically filled by a seasoned public servant, however, Di Lorenzo, a lawyer and friend of Payette was described by staff as not having understood how the public service works two years into her term. The government had to create a new position of associate secretary to assist Di Lorenzo on managing the office.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
Rideau Hall's press secretary issued a statement denying the allegations:<ref></ref>
==== Reactions ====
[[New Democratic Party]] leader [[Jagmeet Singh]] commented that ""I think the first step would be to follow up on complaints and then there could be a thorough investigation of these. And if there were enough evidence to warrant suspending the Governor General from her duties, then that would be assessed at that point".<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
When asked about the harassment allegations against the Governor General on July 24, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer declined to comment, but said he hoped there would be a “comprehensive” look at other allegations in the Prime Minister’s office.<ref> Watch News Videos Online|url=https://globalnews.ca/video/7213970/scheer-wants-comprehensive-look-at-pms-office-when-asked-about-julie-payette-harassment-allegations/|access-date=2021-01-22|website=Global News|language=en-US}}</ref>
==== Rideau Hall response ====
After the story broke, Rideau Hall's press secretary said her office "strongly believes in the importance of a healthy workplace, we have taken many steps to foster this, we will continue to do so and will work at constantly improving," and called for a review.<ref name=":1" />
The CBC reported on August 12 that the Office of the Governor General was bringing in psychologists specializing in workplace stress to speak to employees and Payette released a memo on July 31 telling staff that she was listening to concerns and urging them to "stay united":<ref name=":1" />
=== Investigation ===
In response to the allegations, the Privy Council Office announced on September 1 that it would retain Quintet Consulting to launch an independent, third-party review of the workplace culture at Rideau Hall.<ref></ref> Current and previous employees were invited to be voluntarily interviewed about their experiences at Rideau Hall.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
During the investigation, the CBC reported that the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Prime Minister's Office]] failed to conduct checks with Payette's previous employers prior to her appointment as Governor General. Sources who previously worked with Payette at the [[Canadian Space Agency]], the [[Montreal Science Centre]], [[Canadian Olympic Committee]] and [[Canada Lands Company]] describe similar experiences working with Payette, as well as previous departures from the Montreal Science Centre in 2016 and Canadian Olympic Committee in 2017 following complaints and investigations into similar matters.<ref></ref>
== Resignations of Payette and Di Lorenzo ==
On January 21, 2020, Payette and Di Lorenzo resigned from their roles, following the conclusion of the Quintet report and a meeting the previous evening with the Prime Minister and [[President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada|President of the Privy Council]] [[Dominic LeBlanc]].<ref name=":2" /> Had Payette declined to resign, her dismissal could have triggered a constitutional crisis involving intervention by the Queen.<ref name=":3"></ref>
The Governor General's Office released a statement following her resignation which included an apology by Payette:<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
[[Richard Wagner (judge)|Richard Wagner]], the [[Chief Justice of Canada|chief justice of Canada]] assumes the role of [[Administrator of the government|administrator of Canada]] in the interim and acts as Governor General.<ref name=":3" />
=== Reactions ===
[[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated: "Every employee in the government of Canada has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and we will always take this very seriously. Today's announcement provides an opportunity for new leadership at Rideau Hall to address the workplace concerns raised by employees during the review."<ref name=":4"></ref>
Conservative leader [[Erin O'Toole]] cited problems with Trudeau's selection of Payette, accusing him of not vetting properly and called on him to meet with party leaders to discuss selecting the next governor general,<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> stating: "[c]onsidering the problems with his last appointment and the minority Parliament, the Prime Minister should consult opposition parties and re-establish the Vice-Regal Appointments Committee."<ref name=":3" />
The [[Bloc Québécois]] called for the release of the workplace review and said the position of Governor General has no place in a democracy.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stated: "The people we need to keep in mind here are the workers that had to endure an unsafe work environment. It takes more than the Governor General resigning. The prime minister must take the necessary measures that ensure the health and safety of workers and a harassment-free work environment."<ref name=":4" />
== References ==
<references />
The '''2020–21 Rideau Hall workplace review''' was an external review by Quintet Consulting of the [[Workplace bullying|workplace culture]] at [[Rideau Hall]]–which hosts the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general of Canada]] and her staff–initiated by the [[Privy Council Office (Canada)|Privy Council Office]] following allegations of harassment and verbal abuse by Governor General [[Julie Payette]] and her [[Secretary to the Governor General of Canada|secretary]]. The review ultimately produced a report concluding that Payette and di Lorenzo presided over a toxic work environment and the resignation of Payette as Governor General.
== Background ==
=== Appointment of Payette ===
On July 13, 2017, Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] announced his recommendation of Julie Payette to succeed [[David Johnston]] as the 29th governor general of Canada. Payette was formally appointed by the Queen on October 2, 2017.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The role of the governor general is to represent the [[Monarchy of Canada|monarch of Canada]], [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] when she is not in the country and includes granting [[royal assent]] to legislation passed by [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]], and dissolving Parliament for an election on the advice of the Prime Minister.<ref name=":0">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name=":1">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
Trudeau's method of selection for the role was criticized for failing to appropriately vet candidates, as the [[Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments]] established in 2012,<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> was left dormant following Trudeau taking office in 2015.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> Following the 2021 resignations, critics alleged that "[b]ack in 2017, when he picked the former astronaut, Mr. Trudeau and his advisers were apparently so enthralled with ticking those symbolic boxes, of installing the candidate who neatly fit the image, that they obviously didn’t do enough to check on who she really was",<ref></ref> blaming the government and the Privy Council Office for "failing to spot red flags before Payette’s appointment, and then failing to act once the media had highlighted them."<ref name=":2">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
=== Toxic workplace allegations ===
On July 21, 2020, [[CBC News]] reported that Rideau Hall staff faced harassment and verbal abuse by the Governor General. Sources detail that early into her tenure, Payette would question staff regarding topics unrelated to what was being discussed at meetings, such as by "put[ing] staff on the spot by quizzing them about outer space". Payette was alleged to also have thrown tantrums in her office, yell at and belittle employees, and refer to their work as "shit". Staffers were seen leaving her office in tears.<ref></ref>
Secretary to the Governor General Assunta di Lorenza, who manages the Office of the Governor General also was reported to bully staff, calling them lazy and incompetent.<ref name=":0" /> The position of secretary is typically filled by a seasoned public servant, however, Di Lorenzo, a lawyer and friend of Payette was described by staff as not having understood how the public service works two years into her term. The government had to create a new position of associate secretary to assist Di Lorenzo on managing the office.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
Rideau Hall's press secretary issued a statement denying the allegations:<ref></ref>
==== Reactions ====
[[New Democratic Party]] leader [[Jagmeet Singh]] commented that ""I think the first step would be to follow up on complaints and then there could be a thorough investigation of these. And if there were enough evidence to warrant suspending the Governor General from her duties, then that would be assessed at that point".<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
When asked about the harassment allegations against the Governor General on July 24, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer declined to comment, but said he hoped there would be a “comprehensive” look at other allegations in the Prime Minister’s office.<ref> Watch News Videos Online|url=https://globalnews.ca/video/7213970/scheer-wants-comprehensive-look-at-pms-office-when-asked-about-julie-payette-harassment-allegations/|access-date=2021-01-22|website=Global News|language=en-US}}</ref>
==== Rideau Hall response ====
After the story broke, Rideau Hall's press secretary said her office "strongly believes in the importance of a healthy workplace, we have taken many steps to foster this, we will continue to do so and will work at constantly improving," and called for a review.<ref name=":1" />
The CBC reported on August 12 that the Office of the Governor General was bringing in psychologists specializing in workplace stress to speak to employees and Payette released a memo on July 31 telling staff that she was listening to concerns and urging them to "stay united":<ref name=":1" />
=== Investigation ===
In response to the allegations, the Privy Council Office announced on September 1 that it would retain Quintet Consulting to launch an independent, third-party review of the workplace culture at Rideau Hall.<ref></ref> Current and previous employees were invited to be voluntarily interviewed about their experiences at Rideau Hall.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
During the investigation, the CBC reported that the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Prime Minister's Office]] failed to conduct checks with Payette's previous employers prior to her appointment as Governor General. Sources who previously worked with Payette at the [[Canadian Space Agency]], the [[Montreal Science Centre]], [[Canadian Olympic Committee]] and [[Canada Lands Company]] describe similar experiences working with Payette, as well as previous departures from the Montreal Science Centre in 2016 and Canadian Olympic Committee in 2017 following complaints and investigations into similar matters.<ref></ref>
== Resignations of Payette and Di Lorenzo ==
On January 21, 2020, Payette and Di Lorenzo resigned from their roles, following the conclusion of the Quintet report and a meeting the previous evening with the Prime Minister and [[President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada|President of the Privy Council]] [[Dominic LeBlanc]].<ref name=":2" /> Had Payette declined to resign, her dismissal could have triggered a constitutional crisis involving intervention by the Queen.<ref name=":3"></ref>
The Governor General's Office released a statement following her resignation which included an apology by Payette:<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
[[Richard Wagner (judge)|Richard Wagner]], the [[Chief Justice of Canada|chief justice of Canada]] assumes the role of [[Administrator of the government|administrator of Canada]] in the interim and acts as Governor General.<ref name=":3" />
=== Reactions ===
[[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated: "Every employee in the government of Canada has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and we will always take this very seriously. Today's announcement provides an opportunity for new leadership at Rideau Hall to address the workplace concerns raised by employees during the review."<ref name=":4"></ref>
Conservative leader [[Erin O'Toole]] cited problems with Trudeau's selection of Payette, accusing him of not vetting properly and called on him to meet with party leaders to discuss selecting the next governor general,<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> stating: "[c]onsidering the problems with his last appointment and the minority Parliament, the Prime Minister should consult opposition parties and re-establish the Vice-Regal Appointments Committee."<ref name=":3" />
The [[Bloc Québécois]] called for the release of the workplace review and said the position of Governor General has no place in a democracy.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stated: "The people we need to keep in mind here are the workers that had to endure an unsafe work environment. It takes more than the Governor General resigning. The prime minister must take the necessary measures that ensure the health and safety of workers and a harassment-free work environment."<ref name=":4" />
== References ==
<references />
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