Bissonnette praised by former boss
Windsor police staff sergeant cites secret recording of conversation
Despite being told by a senior police officer that she had all the tools to be an inspector and that she was highly regarded by the Windsor Police Service, Staff Sgt. Christine Bissonnette finished last on promotion lists in 2015 and 2016, a provincial tribunal heard. Those comments by Deputy Chief Rick Derus were part of a recording Bissonnette made of her 2013 promotion evaluation review played Thursday during her Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario hearing.
Derus can also be heard conceding that the new promotion process being used needed improvement.
Bissonnette filed the human rights complaint in January 2014, alleging gender and age bias has prevented her from being promoted to the rank of inspector. “In the time period after filing the complaint, I was ostracized and left out of communications,” Bissonnette said as she continued to present her evidence in what appears likely to be a lengthy hearing.
During the recording, Derus outlined the only thing that held Bissonnette back in the evaluation in 2013 was that she needed to be more effusive about her skills and give more definitive examples in answering a few of the questions. “Those guys (promoted candidates) have done a lot of stuff that they can pull out from their tool chest,” said Derus, who didn’t have his contract renewed by the Windsor Police Services Board at the end of 2017. “You have that tool chest, you just never explained it to us.” Derus went on to say that all the candidates that year were suitable for the inspector’s position. “This is not about, oh you know, suitable or not,” said Derus, who told Bissonnette she had “excellent knowledge” of the organization. “You are all suitable and that is right from the Chief (Al Frederick).” Derus encouraged Bissonnette to apply for promotion again and to take advantage of her better understanding of how to answer some questions. He also praised her answers to several other questions — on which she had scored five out of five — during the oral and written portions of the evaluation. “You have all the stuff to be a one, two or three (in candidate rankings) — you do, I know you do,” Derus said. “You just have to explain it.” Bissonnette could be heard asking if it was OK to use those same successful responses in the next promotional period and got an affirmative response. However, those answers scored considerably lower in the 2015 and 2016 promotional process.
In the oral evaluation, three answers for which Bissonnette received perfect scores for in 2013, were reduced — twice scoring one out of fives and once scoring two out of five. It was a similar story on the written evaluation as scores of five had become ones or twos by 2016.
Bissonnette alleges Derus, who was part of those evaluations, played a role in reducing her scores as a reprisal for filing the human rights complaint.
During the wide-ranging taped discussion with Derus, Bissonnette said that the promotion process rewarded answering the questions right more than being able to measure ability, skill and knowledge. Derus didn’t dispute that perspective and said he hoped to add things to make the process better. “They (candidates) won’t be able to come back on the process,” Derus said on the recording. “They may say the process is flawed.
“But did we follow the process on this? I can unequivocally say yes. Is the process flawed? Maybe it is. Maybe it’s not the greatest way of doing it.”
Bissonnette also pointed out the two women on the promotion list in 2013 finished at the bottom of the rankings. She said it reinforced bad optics for the department when there were no female officers beyond the rank of staff sergeant at that time.
“I’m not saying promote women to promote women,” Bissonnette had told Derus. “I’m just saying it doesn’t look good. I’m sure if someone came in and investigated it, went through everybody ’s resume, skills, experience and knowledge, they would say it doesn’t look good either.”
When Bissonnette admitted she wasn’t good at playing the politics and said she felt that often helped people advance, Derus assured her that wasn’t a factor in promotions. “You’re thought of highly,” said Derus, who told the 31-year veteran of the Windsor Police Service that she’s had a “huge impact” on the department. “You go girl. Nobody else is doing it. You work hard . ... You’re doing the right stuff.”
The hearing resumes Sept. 13.