CANADA
A new review of Canada’s Public Service is to be conducted with the aim of building a respectful workplace culture in which harassment and discrimination are not tolerated.
Clerk of the Privy Council and the nation’s top Public Servant, Michael Wernick (pictured) said it was critical — but not sufficient — to have appropriate policies and resources in place.
“We must create respectful workplaces where inappropriate behaviour is never tolerated,” Mr Wernick said in his annual report to Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
Mr Wernick said he had appointed a team to lead a targeted review of the Public Service’s culture and harassment policies and to find ways to better support employees.
He said the Public Service was not immune to harassment and sexual violence — a fact borne out by recent surveys showing they remained persistent problems over the years.
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, Joe Friday has also highlighted harassment and bullying in several of his investigations.
One survey found 22 per cent of PS employees said they had been harassed in the previous two years — higher than the 19 per cent who reported the same in 2014.
The same survey found 8 per cent of respondents said they faced discrimination, with supervisors and co-workers the primary culprits.
“I am resolved in my commitment to ensure that all employees feel respected and safe to come forward if they feel they have been a victim of harassment,” Mr Wernick said.
He said the path for an employee to get help was not always clear and Departments must make it easier and more understandable.
Along with harassment, Mr Wernick said his other top priorities for the year included mental health and workplace wellbeing, paying PS staff on time and getting them the right tools and organisational structures to do their jobs.
Ottawa, 27 April 2018
