PMO exempt from federal harassment rules for now

Staffer on leave during investigation

OTTAWA — The Prime Minister’s Office has hired an independent investigator to look into unspecified allegations against a senior staffer, but the workplace harassment policy that governs all federal public servants does not technically apply to PMO employees.

“That said, we are absolutely informed by it,” Kate Purchase, communications director for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said Thursday.

News of the policy vacuum comes after Claude-Éric Gagné, Trudeau’s deputy director of operations, confirmed he is on a leave of absence during an independent investigation regarding allegations that came to the attention of the PMO.

In a statement Wednesday, Gagné said he challenges the veracity of the allegations but is co-operating fully with the thirdparty investigator, who has given him the opportunity to explain his side.

“I hope that the process will succeed as soon as possible.”

Gagné said he would not comment any further to avoid undermining the process in which he has agreed to participate.

He has been on leave since Nov. 1, within a day of the PMO becoming aware of the allegations.

Purchase said she could not comment on the nature of the allegations.

Calling in a third party to examine allegations of workplace harassment is one of the steps that can come into play under the policy governing those who work for the federal government — including ministerial staff.

The accompanying guidelines spell out in great detail what happens next, including the need for an independent investigator to be provided with a written mandate, assess the credibility of witnesses and submit a final report.

The policy also allows for the occasional need to hire an investigator from outside the public service, which is what Purchase said the PMO has done.

At the moment, that Treasury Board policy does not officially apply to those who work in the PMO. But that is about to change. The federal government introduced legislation last month aimed at giving workers and their employers a clear course of action to better deal with allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.

Purchase said the legislation proposed in Bill C-65, which has yet to be debated in the House of Commons, would apply to Prime Minister’s Office staffers, too.