https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2021/statement-governor-general 

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Amanda Connolly

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Gov. Gen. Julie Payette resigning amid ‘scathing’ Rideau Hall workplace review

The independent review of workplace abuse allegations against Julie Payette paints a damning picture of the Queen's representative.

David Raymond Amos

@DavidRaymondAm1

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette. An outside consultant hired to look into reports of a toxic workplace at Rideau Hall has tabled a report that sources say comes to some harsh conclusions. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

An independent consulting firm has completed its review into reports of a toxic environment and workplace harassment at Rideau Hall — and sources briefed on the report say its tone is blistering.

Sources said the negative findings in the report could make it difficult for Julie Payette to remain in her role as Governor General. The Globe and Mail also reports that the review has been completed and is damning in its conclusions.

Sources have also told CBC that Secretary to the Governor General Assunta Di Lorenzo, who has also been accused of harassing employees, recently hired Marie Henein's firm to represent her.

Henein represented ex-Vice Admiral Mark Norman, the military's former second-in-command, during his trial for breach of trust. Federal prosecutors stayed that charge. It's not clear if Henein or another lawyer at her firm is personally representing Di Lorenzo.

CBC News contacted Rideau Hall, Di Lorenzo and Henein this morning for comment and has not heard back. The National Post has also reported Henein Hutchison LLP has been hired. 

CBC is not naming the sources as they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The head of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Dominic LeBlanc, is overseeing the review and is expected to offer recommendations to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his response. LeBlanc's father was the governor general from 1995-1999. 

• Can you fire a Governor General?

Experts agree that when a government wants a controversial governor general to depart, the most likely approach would be for the prime minister to suggest resignation. If the governor general doesn't follow through on that suggestion, the prime minister could turn to the Queen to appoint a replacement.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace wouldn't comment on the report today.

"This is a matter for the Canadian government so I would refer you to them," said Hannah Howard, deputy communications secretary to the Queen.

The Privy Council Office launched the unprecedented third-party review in July in response to a CBC News report featuring a dozen public servants and former employees confidentially claiming Payette had belittled, berated and publicly humiliated Rideau Hall staff. Di Lorenzo, the Governor General's longtime friend and second-in-command, is also accused of bullying staff.

Payette tweeted two days after that story aired that she was "deeply concerned about the media reports" and she "takes harassment and workplace issues very seriously ... I am in full agreement and welcome the independent review."

As of Jan. 5, Rideau Hall had spent more than $150,000 in public funds on legal representation in response to the toxic workplace allegations, including a former Supreme Court justice for the Governor General and Blakes law firm for the institution.

That sum is larger than the original value of the federal contract that hired Quintet Consulting to conduct the review. The private firm was hired on an $88,325 contract in Sept. 2020.

More than 50 people voluntarily took part in the review. They included current and former staff at Rideau Hall and representatives of other government departments that work closely with the Governor General and her office, such as the RCMP, Global Affairs and the National Capital Commission. 

The number of participants grew higher than the government anticipated, causing the review to take longer than originally scheduled. 

Quintet's president, Raphael Szajnfarber, told CBC News yesterday the firm remains "unable to discuss this confidential matter."

WATCH | The atmosphere at Rideau Hall was tense in November 2020 as review was underway:

The atmosphere at Rideau Hall is tense as an investigation into allegations of workplace harassment continues with more than 50 people being interviewed. The investigation follows claims that Gov. Gen. Julie Payette harassed employees and her second-in-command bullied staff. 1:51

Reports of 'tantrums' on foreign trips

Last year, former staffers gave CBC News accounts of Payette throwing "tantrums" in the office and on foreign trips, openly criticizing people's work to the point where they were reduced to tears, and tossing an employee's work aside and calling it "shit." Employees have been seen leaving her office with tears in their eyes or crying in their vehicles. 

Sources say Payette is known for dropping "explosions" or "bursts of emotion" on staff at Rideau Hall over the quality of work done in the office.

CBC News has now spoken confidentially to more than 20 public servants with direct knowledge of the workplace climate at Rideau Hall. They spoke on the condition they not be named because they feared they could lose their jobs or their careers could suffer. Many of the sources are still in the public service, while others are former Rideau Hall employees.

One source said Rideau Hall went from being one of the most collegial federal public service workplaces to a "house of horrors," causing longtime employees to leave in droves.

Payette greets Canadian World War II veteran Bill Anderson, left, at a ceremony at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Reviers, Normandy, France, in June 2019. Some former employees reported that on some foreign trips Payette threw 'tantrums' and was verbally abusive to staff. (David Vincent/The Associated Press)

Five executives left Payette's office in 2018 within months of each other, the communications department cleared out during the pandemic and Di Lorenzo has had at least four executive assistants leave, according to sources. In the past month, another group of staff members departed.

"She screams and humiliates staff in front of others," one former employee told CBC News in July 2020. "It's verbal abuse. In no world is it OK to treat people that way."

At the beginning of her mandate, sources said, Payette also put staff on the spot by quizzing them about outer space — asking them to name all the planets in the solar system, for example, or to state the distance between the sun and the moon.

In one four-month period, roughly two dozen people reported abusive conduct by Payette or Di Lorenzo to management, according to government sources. Former employees complain the system protects the alleged abusers and said they fear it would ruin their careers to file an official complaint.

Claims of harassment of employees

Di Lorenzo is also accused of harassing employees and calling some "lazy" and "incompetent."

A former lawyer and executive in Montreal, Di Lorenzo is supposed to keep Payette's office running smoothly and effectively. Multiple sources said Di Lorenzo is years into the job — which is typically filled by a seasoned public servant — and still doesn't understand how the public service works.

"[Di Lorenzo is] also a bully," said a source. "When confronted with something she's unsure of, instead of giving you the benefit of the doubt, she comes at you as a pit bull."

CBC News has also reported Payette has faced similar claims at past workplaces, but the prime minister and his officials didn't conduct checks with her past employers before appointing her as Governor General.

Payette was given severance of roughly $200,000 when she resigned from the Montreal Science Centre in 2016 following complaints about her treatment of employees, say multiple sources at Canada Lands Company, the Crown corporation that employed her. In 2017, Payette left the Canadian Olympic Committee after two internal investigations into her treatment of staff that included claims of verbal harassment, sources with that organization said.

The Governor General retained the services of former Supreme Court of Canada justice Michel Bastarache as "constitutional adviser" and paid him $41,488. The law firm Blakes is also assisting the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG) in the review process and has been paid $111,179; that contract has been amended to allow for billing up to $149,500.

In August, Rideau Hall hired former NDP national director Karl Bélanger and his firm, Traxxion Strategies, to provide strategic communications counsel and media relations support to Payette, and has paid him $9,450 so far.

About the Author

Ashley Burke

Reporter

Ashley Burke is a senior reporter with CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. Have a story idea? Email her at ashley.burke@cbc.ca

David Raymond Amos

@DavidRaymondAm1

Replying to @DavidRaymondAm1 @Nyonitzand 49 others

Governor General Julie Payette arrives at a swearing in ceremony in Ottawa, Ont., on August 18, 2020. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters)

 

Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette and her secretary, Assunta di Lorenzo, are resigning after an outside workplace review of Rideau Hall found that the pair presided over a toxic work environment.

Last year, an independent consulting firm was hired by the Privy Council Office (PCO) to review reports that Payette was responsible for workplace harassment at Rideau Hall.

Sources who were briefed on the consulting firm's report told CBC News that its conclusions were damning.

President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada Dominic LeBlanc told CBC's Vassy Kapelos the federal government received the final report late last week, which he said offered some "disturbing" and "worrisome" conclusions.

LeBlanc said Payette indicated her intention to resign during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last night, where they discussed the report's contents.

• Read Julie Payette's full statement on her decision to resign as governor general

In a media statement announcing her departure, Payette apologized for what she called the "tensions" at Rideau Hall in recent months, saying that everyone has "a right to a healthy and safe work environment."

"While no formal complaints or official grievances were made during my tenure, which would have immediately triggered a detailed investigation as prescribed by law and the collective agreements in place, I still take these allegations very seriously," she said in the statement. 

"We all experience things differently, but we should always strive to do better and be attentive to one another's perceptions."

WATCH | Gov. Gen. Julie Payette resigns after scathing workplace review:

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette resigned on Thursday after a scathing review about a toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. The review followed CBC reporting into allegations of workplace harassment and bullying in the Governor General’s office. 2:50

Payette said her resignation comes at a good time because her father is in poor health and her family needs her help. 

Trudeau's office confirmed receiving Payette's resignation.

"Every employee in the Government of Canada has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and we will always take this very seriously," Trudeau said in a statement. "Today's announcement provides an opportunity for new leadership at Rideau Hall to address the workplace concerns raised by employees during the review."

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Richard Wagner will fulfil the duties of the Governor General on an interim basis. In a short statement, Buckingham Palace said "the Queen has been kept informed of developments."

Third-party review

The Privy Council Office launched the unprecedented third-party review in July in response to a CBC News report featuring a dozen public servants and former employees confidentially claiming Payette belittled, berated and publicly humiliated Rideau Hall staff. Di Lorenzo, Payette's longtime friend and second-in-command, is also accused of bullying staff.

Payette tweeted two days after that story aired that she was "deeply concerned about the media reports" and she "takes harassment and workplace issues very seriously ... I am in full agreement and welcome the independent review."

As of Jan. 5, Rideau Hall had spent more than $150,000 in public funds on legal representation in response to the toxic workplace allegations, and had hired a former Supreme Court justice to represent Payette and Blakes law firm for the institution itself.

That sum is larger than the original value of the federal contract that hired Quintet Consulting to conduct the review. The private firm was hired on an $88,325 contract in Sept. 2020.

Sources have also told CBC that Secretary to the Governor General Assunta Di Lorenzo, who has also been accused of harassing employees, recently hired Marie Henein's firm to represent her.

Henein represented ex-Vice Admiral Mark Norman, the military's former second-in-command, during his trial for breach of trust. Federal prosecutors stayed that charge. It's not clear if Henein or another lawyer at her firm is personally representing Di Lorenzo.

The Bloc Québécois issued a statement calling for the immediate release of the Rideau Hall workplace review and said the position of Governor General has no place in a democracy.

LeBlanc said his department has already received — and will comply with — access to information requests for the report. But he added that federal privacy law limits what can be disclosed.

 "The government is not in a position ... to necessarily release all the details of the report," LeBlanc said. "We will clearly comply with the access to information legislation and the appropriate version will be made public as soon as we can."

Removing a Governor General

Payette joins a very short list of governors general who have left the post early — but she is the first to do so mired in controversy.

Lord Alexander left for England a month before Vincent Massey was sworn in as his replacement in 1952. John Buchan, also known as Lord Tweedsmuir, and Georges Vanier both died while serving, in 1940 and 1967, respectively. In those cases, the Supreme Court chief justice of the day stepped in to fill the role temporarily.

Romeo LeBlanc, Dominic's father, stepped down in 1999 before the end of his term due to health issues. The office was not left vacant; LeBlanc continued until Adrienne Clarkson was ready to succeed him.

Governors general have resigned under pressure — and have been asked to resign by prime ministers — in Commonwealth countries in the past. In 2003, Australian Gov. Gen. Peter Hollingworth resigned after controversy erupted over the way he had handled sexual abuse claims while he was archbishop of Brisbane.

WATCH | Former heritage minister on choosing a governor general

James Moore was the heritage minister in the Conservative government of Stephen Harper. 1:48

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole released a statement calling on the Liberal government to consult the other parties before choosing Payette's permanent replacement.

"The Governor General is the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces and has an important constitutional role," O'Toole said. "Considering the problems with his last appointment and the minority Parliament, the Prime Minister should consult opposition parties and re-establish the Vice-Regal Appointments Committee."

That committee was created by the Harper government in 2012 to identify a list of possible candidates for viceregal offices, including the Governor General, through a non-partisan consultation process. It was later disbanded and was dormant in 2017.

LeBlanc committed the Liberal government to a "robust and thorough and complete" vetting process when choosing Payette's successor.

In a statement, Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, called media reports about Payette's behaviour "regrettable." He said he hopes that her resignation will usher in a new chapter at Rideau Hall defined by "loyalty, dignity and respect."

"It is important to remember that the Governor General represents our admired head of state, the Queen," said Finch. "If future vice-regals aspire to perform their roles with the grace, dedication and duty as our Sovereign has during almost 70 years, they will excel."

 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/payette-governor-general-resignation-wherry-1.5883082

Payette is the one resigning — but Justin Trudeau has to wear it

In Payette's appointment, we can see the consequences of a PM leaping before looking

Aaron Wherry· CBC News· Posted: Jan 22, 2021 4:00 AM ET

Julie Payette leaves along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after delivering the throne speech in the Senate chamber in Ottawa on Sept. 23, 2020. Payette resigned her post as governor general on Thursday. She may be the first governor general to have to resign in scandal, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not come away from the scandal unscathed. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Julie Payette might still want to debate the details of what exactly occurred inside Rideau Hall over the last three and a half years. But she apparently couldn't escape an increasingly obvious conclusion — that for her to continue as governor general would risk inflicting serious damage on the office.

"I am a strong believer in the principles of natural justice, due process and the rule of law, and that these principles apply to all equally," Payette said in a statement released Thursday.

"Notwithstanding, in respect for the integrity of my vice-regal office and for the good of our country and of our democratic institutions, I have come to the conclusion that a new governor general should be appointed."

Payette can now plead her case as a private citizen if she chooses. And if the next person to fill the role manages to do so with little to no trouble, the injuries to the office should be limited.

Payette will go down as the first governor general to have to resign in scandal, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not come away unscathed.

It's the office that counts

The office of governor general is bigger than the person who temporarily occupies it. However interesting or noteworthy the appointee might be, he or she does not come to it with a popular mandate — it's the office that matters. Each governor general might hope to leave a mark, but it's the office that sits at the centre of Canada's democratic system. That imposes a special duty of care on the occupant.

Payette's time as governor general was threatening to tarnish that office. Other governors general have landed in controversy and maybe no one gets through their time at Rideau Hall without experiencing some criticism — either for being too interesting or not interesting enough.

But the allegations against Payette concerned both her interest in attending to some aspects of the job and her treatment of others, specifically her own staff. Those claims by staff members about a "toxic" environment at Rideau Hall were quite serious, and reports suggest an independent review of the office confirmed at least the gist of those charges.

As one commentator noted on Thursday, treating people badly in the workplace might not have been enough to get someone dismissed from a job in years past. But tolerance for misuse of authority is now greatly diminished. And for the nominal head of state, it was too much to overcome.

The GG is a figurehead — but an important one

It is very easy to discount or disregard the governor general. In many ways, the job is about attracting as little attention as possible.

The governor general is, on most days, a figurehead — the representative of Queen Elizabeth II and the embodiment of the Crown. The governor general should represent and celebrate the best of the country while carefully remaining apolitical.

Since the governor general is widely seen as someone who hands out awards and reads the throne speech, it's tempting to imagine that the office could easily be done away with.

But the Crown is central to the Canadian system of government. It's the governor general who presides over transfers of power, imposes some implicit restraint on the prime minister and, in rare circumstances, settles disputes over who will be given the opportunity to govern.

The office could not be reformed or eliminated without significant ramifications for the rest of the system — a system that has, for the most part, served Canada well.

How thoroughly was Payette vetted?

So it's not something to trifle with. And when serious accusations are levelled against the office's occupant, the integrity of the office has to be considered. Payette put that office at risk with her behaviour, and whoever takes the job next will do so at a uniquely delicate moment.

But the end of Payette's time at Rideau Hall leads back to questions about how it started. Doubts about how well she was vetted — about whether gaps in the process led to the appointment of an individual who was unsuited to the task — have already been raised. Such questions will get fresh attention now.

WATCH: Dominic LeBlanc on Julie Payette's resignation

Privy Council President and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc on the resignation of Governor General Julie Payette. 2:48

Were warning signs missed or discounted? Did the prime minister know enough about who he was appointing? Did Payette know enough about what she was being asked to do?

Payette's appointment might now seem like an artifact of the version of Justin Trudeau that existed between 2013 and 2019 — and that may still live on beneath the more workman-like version that was largely (but not entirely) on display through 2020.

The pre-beard Trudeau was more ostentatious. Sometimes he took a leap and managed to get to the other side — kick-starting Senate reform, legalizing marijuana or resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees. Other times, he failed to look before leaping and ended up taking a nasty fall — as he did with electoral reform.

Julie Payette was very much the sort of governor general you would have imagined Trudeau picking. Stephen Harper chose a bookish, grandfatherly university administrator. Justin Trudeau picked an astronaut who can sing and play the piano. It's easy to imagine Trudeau thinking about how great Payette would be if it all worked out. But it never really did.

Unfortunately for Trudeau, it will now be noted that Harper appointed a panel to come up with potential nominees — and that Trudeau didn't do the same. Maybe that wouldn't have kept Trudeau from picking someone better. But no one can claim it would have resulted in him picking someone worse.

The new governor general might be fine and the public might go back to not thinking much about who occupies Rideau Hall or what they do. More stories will emerge from Rideau Hall, no doubt, and perhaps Payette will attempt to clear her image with an interview or two. In time, though, this might go down as an unfortunate footnote.

But Payette, Trudeau and the office of the governor general will be lucky if that's as far as the fallout goes. For 153 years, Canadian governors general managed to serve without having to resign in scandal. Breaking that streak might not be the end of Canada's constitutional order — but it's no small thing.

About the Author

Aaron Wherry

Parliament Hill Bureau

Aaron Wherry has covered Parliament Hill since 2007 and has written for Maclean's, the National Post and the Globe and Mail. He is the author of Promise & Peril, a book about Justin Trudeau's years in power.

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