Gov. Gen. Julie Payette has created a toxic environment at Rideau Hall by harassing employees to the point where some have been reduced to tears or have left the office altogether, sources tell CBC News.
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette has created a toxic environment at Rideau Hall by verbally harassing employees to the point where some have been reduced to tears or have left the office altogether, sources tell CBC News.
Four members of Payette’s communications team have departed during the pandemic period alone. A fifth person is leaving this week and another two have taken leaves of absence. It’s just the latest wave of staff to quietly transfer out of the small office in response to mistreatment during Payette’s mandate, multiple sources said.
“This has gone from being one of the most collegial and enjoyable work environments for many of the staff to being a house of horrors,” said one government source. “It’s bullying and harassment at its worst.”
CBC News spoke to a dozen sources with direct knowledge of the office during Payette’s mandate. They spoke on the condition of anonymity 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.
The sources say Payette has yelled at, belittled and publicly humiliated employees. They accuse her of throwing tantrums in the office and, on one occasion, tossing an employee’s work aside and calling it “shit.”
On a single day, multiple people were seen leaving Payette’s office with tears in their eyes after private meetings with the Governor General, said one source. In another instance, a staff member was spotted crying in their car.
“She screams and humiliates staff in front of others,” said a former employee. “It’s verbal abuse. In no world is it OK to treat people that way.”
Payette’s secretary and longtime friend, Assunta Di Lorenzo, is also accused of harassing employees and calling some “lazy” and “incompetent.”
“[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.”
Reporting in ‘stark contrast’ to reality, says Rideau Hall
In a statement issued to CBC News, Rideau Hall said Payette and the management of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General “strongly” believe “in the importance of a healthy workplace, we have taken many steps to foster this, we will continue to do so and will work at constantly improving.”
“We deeply regret this reporting, which is in stark contrast to the reality of working at the OSGG, and obscures the important work done by our dedicated staff in honouring, representing, and showcasing Canadians,” said Ashlee Smith, press secretary to the Governor General.
The Prime Minister’s Office said all Canadians have to work in a “healthy, respectful and safe environment,” but referred CBC’s questions to Rideau Hall.
“Our government is committed to ensuring that all federally-regulated workplaces are free from harassment of any kind,” said PMO press secretary Ann-Clara Vaillancourt.
Payette’s trailblazing career
Payette was appointed Governor General on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in October 2017. She is just over half way through her mandate, which will end in October 2022 if it’s not extended.
Payette is a Montreal-born trailblazer — a former astronaut who’s been to space twice and is also a computer engineer, pilot, academic, musician and executive.
Although Payette’s role as the Queen’s representative in Canada is mostly ceremonial, the vice-regal position can be an important one in a minority government situation. Payette is bound by constitutional convention to follow the advice of the prime minister if the PM requests a dissolution or prorogation of Parliament, but she is empowered to dismiss a government that has been defeated on a vote of confidence if it refuses to step aside.
The National Post has written extensively about Payette’s struggle to adapt to her new public role. The newspaper reported that Payette is a deeply private person who is involved in the minutia of administration, has pushed back against protocol and has cut down her workload.
Rideau Hall among the worst in public service for harassment
As reported by Maclean’s magazine, the 2019 federal Public Service Employee Survey said that 22 per cent of respondents working for Rideau Hall claimed to have experienced harassment, down from 25 per cent in 2018 — still the third-highest harassment level reported by any federal department or agency.
The annual survey offers the only publicly available data on the extent of harassment in the bureaucracy.
In 2019, just over one-in-five of the 126 Rideau Hall employees who responded to the survey reported having been victims of harassment on the job over a 12-month period.
Of those Rideau Hall employees who reported harassment, 74 per cent attributed it to individuals with authority over them.
Half of the 28 self-reported victims said they were humiliated, 47 per cent reported dealing with someone exerting excessive control, 40 per cent felt excluded or ignored, and 44 per cent said they dealt with aggressive behaviour.
“These are not one-time issues,” said a government source. “This is a