RCMP guards offered to testify to GG probe
Payette angered by privacy breach: Source
OTTAWA • Former Gov. Gen. Julie Payette was frustrated that officers in her RCMP protective detail were offered the chance to give testimony in the third-party workplace review released in redacted form on Wednesday, sources have told the National Post.
Payette felt the Privy Council Office should have kept the review to staff working at Rideau Hall, and that it was a grievous breach of her privacy and her relationship with her protective detail — officers mandated to protect Payette around the clock, including on her personal time — that they were included in the review’s scope.
The review team conducted 92 interviews between Oct. 12 and Nov. 23, 2020 for the report, including 22 with non-rideau Hall staff.
“Think about it: it can’t inspire confidence to know that someone dedicated to protecting your life may have also spoken against you in the review,” said one source close to the situation.
There have been multiple media accounts dating back to 2018 of Payette clashing with her security detail, including that she chafed at having RCMP officers constantly with her and occasionally tried to slip out from under their watch.
Last week the National Police Federation, the union certified in 2019 to represent frontline RCMP members, issued a statement saying it learned in September 2020 of “stories of harassment and other troubling behaviour experienced by RCMP Members assigned to Governor General Julie Payette’s Protection Detail,” but did not provide more information.
A union spokesperson confirmed to the Post that members of Payette’s security detail “were offered the opportunity to participate in interviews with Quintet Consulting,” the firm that conducted the review. But the spokesperson said the union can’t say how many officers, if any, gave testimony.
Payette is also said to be upset that military personnel were included in the review’s scope. The military provides some transportation to the governor general, and it assigns a small pool of aides-de-camp — officers in uniform who assist the governor general — to Rideau Hall on a rotating basis. The Post has not confirmed if any spoke to Quintet.
Rideau Hall’s press office declined comment for this story.
The workplace review was focused on current and former employees of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG). However, the terms of reference said Quintet was “responsible for identifying any other knowledgeable individuals (e.g. NON-OSGG personnel who work on OSGG premises or who witnessed key events), and invite them to be interviewed, on a voluntary basis.”
Of the 92 interviews, 41 were current OSGG employees, 29 were former OSGG employees, and 22 were NON-OSGG employees — the category of “knowledgeable individuals.” Along with the RCMP and Canadian Forces, this could have included employees with federal departments and agencies such as the National Capital Commission, Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada.
Payette’s office felt the workplace review was too broad in scope, sources told the Post, which was in part why they brought on former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Michel Bastarache as a “constitutional advisor.” Bastarache told Radio-canada in October that his mandate was “to ensure that the independence and integrity of the institution are not adversely affected by the process created by the Privy Council.”
The review was released Wednesday in heavily redacted form, with all specific allegations blacked out. However, the review says the interviewees alleged Rideau Hall was a “toxic workplace” with incidents of “yelling, screaming, aggressive conduct, demeaning comments and public humiliation.” Quintet cautioned that it did not further investigate the claims to prove their accuracy.
Both Payette and the Secretary to the Governor General Assunta di Lorenzo resigned last week over the review’s conclusions.
The public version of the report removes details about exchanges between Rideau Hall management and Quintet as the review was getting underway, and it is unclear if any of those exchanges were directly with Payette. But two sources told the Post that Payette’s office had many exchanges with the Privy Council Office about the boundaries and scope of the review.
Payette was also in regular contact with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki during this period. However, sources said it was not unusual for them to speak on various issues — particularly given the incident in the summer when a man crashed into the Rideau Hall gate and threatened the prime minister — and it is not known for certain if Payette directly lodged complaints with Lucki about the security detail participating in the review.
A spokesperson for the RCMP’S national division, which includes the RCMP Governor General Protection Detail, said they “are not aware” of any complaints by Payette to them about the workplace review. The RCMP also declined to comment on any harassment or other work-related complaints from officers on Payette’s protective detail.
“For privacy reasons, we are not in a position to speak specifically to the information contained in the third-party workplace review,” spokesperson Stephanie Dumoulin said in an email. “However, in general terms, when an incident of harassment or inappropriate conduct against our employees is reported, we take action immediately to address the matter. We work with our protected clients to ensure a safe and respectful workplace for our employees at all times.”
In September 2018 — less than a year after Payette had become governor general — The Globe and Mail reported the RCMP security detail was already growing frustrated with Payette’s attitude toward them, such as taking off for jogs around the city without informing them.
An extensive story by CBC in August 2020 laid out many more disputes between Payette and her security detail, including that she frequently changed plans at the last minute, incurring huge costs, and sometimes resisted having the RCMP stick close to her. The story reported the RCMP would bring an extra officer on international trips to help watch the door because Payette would try to slip away. The story quoted an RCMP source calling the situation “infuriating.”