Lethbridge Herald

Harassment gets Ottawa’s attention

TIME FOR CHANGE ON HARASSMENT, INCLUDING ON PARLIAMENT HILL: MINISTER

- Joanna Smith THE CANADIAN PRESS

There is nothing new about sexual harassment on Parliament Hill, says Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, but it is time to get serious about supporting its victims and stopping it from happening in the first place.

“We talk a lot about getting women into politics and if we can’t actually protect the women staffers in our own workplaces, we have a long ways to go,” the Liberal minister said Monday after she opened the debate on proposed legislatio­n to support safe federal workplaces.

“This isn’t something that’s a brand new phenomenon,” she told a news conference. “What we’re saying is actually what women have been saying, which is ‘time’s up,’ that it’s time to take action, and that we have the tools to do so.”

The legislatio­n, introduced last fall, is aimed at giving workers and employers a clear course of action to better deal with allegation­s of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.

Later Monday, MPs agreed with a motion tabled by NDP House leader Ruth Ellen Brosseau to fast-track the legislatio­n, known as Bill C-65, sending it straight to the House of Commons human resources committee for further study.

The proposed changes would merge separate labour standards for sexual harassment and violence, subjecting them to the same scrutiny and dispute resolution process, which could mean bringing in an outside investigat­or to review allegation­s.

The proposed rules, which also apply to banks, transporta­tion, telecommun­ications and other federally regulated industries, would enforce strict privacy rules to protect victims of harassment or violence.

Once passed, the legislatio­n would also allow anyone unhappy with how a dispute is being handled to complain to the labour minister, who could step in to investigat­e and order sanctions for employers.

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

Staffers would also have access to a neutral third party to examine their complaints, so that they are not forced to rely upon the MP or senator who employs them, especially if that person is also the alleged abuser.

That aspect of the legislatio­n has taken on increased significan­ce as the #MeToo movement has reached Parliament Hill, including allegation­s against Liberal MP Kent Hehr, who resigned from cabinet last week pending an investigat­ion.

Last week also saw Patrick Brown step down as leader of the Ontario Progressiv­e Conservati­ves, months ahead of a provincial election, following a CTV News report that included an allegation of sexual misconduct stemming from his time as a Conservati­ve MP.

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