Documents released to Canadian Press underscore questions about workplace culture
When Canada’s spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December — the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague — it came with a warning.
The statistics about workplace sexual harassment and violence were compiled as part of Vigneault’s preparations for an all-staff town hall meeting about the allegations on Dec. 5. But in May, CSIS released an annual public report that said there were 24 ongoing harassment investigations in 2023, depicting this as a sign of success.
Balsam added that the service has “seen a higher number of grievances, complaints and conduct cases since the beginning of 2024.”In the December town hall meeting, Vigneault told staff the senior officer accused of rape had left the service the day before. A former CSIS employee who worked in a supervisory capacity in Ontario said her harassment complaint against a high-level managerwas among those that remain outstanding.
“Then people started coming with more formalized complaints,” she said. “I had to tell people that either you have to report something or I have to report something.” She said she believed the complaint process had “utterly stalled,” and she had not received updates as required. This could be due to the “slow machinery of government,” she said.The documents obtained by The Canadian Press also show how CSIS responded to the turmoil in the B.C. surveillance office.
The assessment’s terms of reference say the process focused instead on the “current work environment,” and it would “not consider information from employees that was previously provided under a separate formal process.” The assessment found the unit was understaffed and there had been “a relatively high turnover recently, especially with respect to female members leaving the unit,” causing a “distinct gender imbalance.”
One was dismissed last September on technical grounds that the officer had not exhausted the internal CSIS complaints process, which was “ongoing.” She said this week that she had “never been told that it was still an ongoing investigation at any point.”
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CSIS only deemed 8 harassment, violence cases foundedThe documents show how David Vigneault and his staff responded to The Canadian Press report published on Nov. 30, in which CSIS officers made allegations of rape, bullying and harassment in the service's B.C. physical surveillance office.
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Documents show dozens of harassment, violence cases at CSIS. It deemed only 8 foundedVANCOUVER — When Canada's spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December — the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague — it came with a warning.
Read more »
Documents show dozens of harassment, violence cases at CSIS. It deemed only 8 foundedVANCOUVER — When Canada's spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December — the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague — it came with a warning.
Read more »
Documents show dozens of harassment, violence cases at CSIS. It deemed only 8 foundedVANCOUVER — When Canada's spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December — the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague — it came with a warning.
Read more »
Documents show dozens of harassment, violence cases at CSIS. It deemed only 8 foundedVANCOUVER — When Canada's spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December — the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague — it came with a warning.
Read more »
Documents show dozens of harassment, violence cases at CSIS. It deemed only 8 foundedWhen Canada's spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December — the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague — it came with a warning.
Read more »