'Toxic' office no secret

Senior Defence Department officials knew more than a year ago about complaints the work environment at the Canadian Forces ombudsman's office had turned toxic, including the telling of jokes belittling women and the departure of key staff, but their investigators concluded there had been no wrongdoing.

Deputy minister Robert Fonberg was informed in a letter on Feb. 17, 2011, by a former employee of the ombudsman's office about the "toxic, unhealthy and unhappy environment," the high turnover in staff and stalled investigations into soldiers' complaints.

"Treatment we should strongly criticize in others is common practice in our office," warned Suzanne Belson, a former senior investigator in the office.

Belson, who had served as Concordia University's ombudsman for 22 years, noted the ombudsman, Pierre Daigle, "has made outrageous sexist 'jokes' " and recommended a "speedy, independent, credible and comprehensive workplace assessment."

Daigle has since acknowledged making the jokes but hasn't apologized. At one point, he told a group of female and male staff women couldn't be trusted because they menstruate. At a staff meeting, Daigle told a joke about sperm and lawyers. Employees were upset, with some seeing it as directed at the only lawyer in the room, a woman.

In an email, the Defence Department acknowledged it knew about the situation more than a year ago and conducted an initial assessment of the ombudsman's office in March 2011 and an investigation in April of the same year.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay ordered those investigations after he became aware of the situation in early 2011, his office said.

Investigators were told about ongoing problems by a number of former and current employees, including details about the jokes made by Daigle.

"The investigation found no evidence of 'wrongdoing' as defined under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act," a DND email stated.

In the fall of 2011, the department decided it would launch a workplace assessment of the ombudsman's office, but that did not take place.

Only after Postmedia News wrote articles about the alleged problems did the DND sign a contract to conduct an independent assessment.

Belson questions why it took so long.

"If they care about their people then, damn right, they should have acted faster," she said in an interview. "They should have done this in a month.

"I'm feeling quite cynical at this point," Belson added when asked whether she expected any changes in the ombudsman's office.

Jay Paxton, a spokesman for MacKay, noted the investigation wasn't finalized until February of this year and contract details had to be put in place before the workplace assessment could begin.

The contractor has up to four months to complete the assessment and provide findings to DND officials, the DND email said. It is unclear what will happen after that. The department has declined further comment.

"The Canadian Forces deserve an ombudsman that represents their interests and our government will not hesitate to take further action, if required," Paxton said.

On May 17, Postmedia News published an article outlining various allegations about the office. The article contained interviews with two former soldiers who filed complaints to the ombudsman's office five years ago that still haven't been finalized. They said they don't trust Daigle, accusing him of stalling their complaints because they were made against a senior officer.

Belson and other former and current employees of the ombudsman's office blame ongoing problems on Daigle, a former major-general appointed ombudsman in February 2009. Daigle has vigorously defended his tenure.

Belson said she's surprised Daigle continues in the job, particularly since he admitted to making inappropriate jokes about women.

"When you're in a position like he is, where you are supposed to be upholding fairness, where you might certainly get involved in complaints about discrimination, where you should be respecting your staff, that kind of joke just completely destroys everything."

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 28, 2012 A8