Staffers split on whether harassment legislation will work

The Liberal government has proposed strict new rules to govern harassment in federal workplaces — including on Parliament Hill — but political staffers are split on whether the changes will make a difference.

“Legislation is one thing,” wrote one respondent to a recent survey of political staffers by The Canadian Press. “Hearts and minds is another.”

The Canadian Press distributed a questionnaire to those working in offices of MPS, senators and cabinet ministers in Ottawa, asking them to share their opinions and experiences with sexual assault and sexual harassment on Parliament Hill.

The non-representative results of the survey, which garnered 266 responses, don’t allow broad conclusions about the scale of the problem, since there’s no way to verify the size of the population. But they do illustrate the challenges faced by male and female staffers alike as they contend with a culture many say fosters the conditions for abuse.

Respondents were asked, among other things, to evaluate the likely effectiveness of proposed legislation aimed at giving workers and employers a clear course of action to better deal with allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.

The new rules, once passed, would also bring parliamentary staff under the protection of the Canada Labour Code for the first time.

Nearly 55 per cent of the 179 people who answered the question said they think the proposed changes would improve the situation, while about 45 per cent of respondents disagreed.

Several referred to the power imbalance — exacerbated by a lack of job security — between MPS or senators and the younger staffers they employ.

“We are warned repeatedly never to make a complaint as we will never get hired again,” wrote one respondent. “So, I really doubt it will make a difference. It’s career suicide.”

The legislation also doesn’t address the culture of drinking that can be a regular part of the job, others noted.

Several noted that the majority of those in positions of authority are men. Others mentioned a grey area, where things could end up crossing the line.