Harassment gets Ottawa’s attention
TIME FOR CHANGE ON HARASSMENT, INCLUDING ON PARLIAMENT HILL: MINISTER
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.