Harassment crackdown on deck for Parliament

OTTAWA • The time has come to crack down on harassment in federal workplaces, including Parliament Hill, says Employment Minister Patty Hajdu.

“Parliament Hill features distinct power imbalances that perpetuate the culture that people with a lot of power and prestige can and have used that power to victimize the people who work so hard for us,” Hajdu said Monday in the House of Commons as she opened debate on legislation to support safe workplaces.

“It’s a culture where people who are victims of harassment or sexual violence do not feel safe to bring those complaints forward.”

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 to fasttrack the legislation, known as Bill C-65.

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

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.

“Things need to change and it starts with saying emphatically that it is never OK,” Hajdu told the House.

“It is never OK for someone to take advantage of a position of power to victimize another person. It is never OK that victims, far too often women or young workers or people of colour or people of the LGBTQ2 community, have been forced to stay silent and keep their trauma to themselves.”

Bill C-65 comes to second reading in the House of Commons at a time when the so-called #MeToo movement has reached Parliament Hill, including allegations against Liberal MP Kent Hehr, who resigned from cabinet last week pending an investigation.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel responded with an impassioned speech on how what life can be like for women on the Hill.

“Women are still touched. Our hair is still stroked. Our shoulders are still rubbed,” she said.

“We are still given hugs and cheek kisses that linger a bit too long. To fit in, we still laugh at the lewd jokes, and maybe even tell one ourselves, to be considered safe to socialize with and one of the boys.”

Hajdu acknowledged Monday that legislation will not be enough.

“It takes a culture of zero tolerance. It takes leadership in every organization to stand up and say ‘This is not acceptable, time’s up.”