When Canada91裸聊视频檚 spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December 91裸聊视频� the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague 91裸聊视频� it came with a warning.
David Vigneault, then director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told Dominic LeBlanc that he expected 91裸聊视频渕ore cases to surface in the coming weeks,91裸聊视频� and that he had to be 91裸聊视频渢ransparent91裸聊视频� about this with the minister
91裸聊视频�(We) will continue to make the difficult decisions required to make a safe workplace,91裸聊视频� he wrote, saying that the report by The Canadian Press had left staff 91裸聊视频渞eeling.91裸聊视频�
Vigneault, who stepped down in July, had reason to be concerned.
In the days after the report was published, Vigneault91裸聊视频檚 staff compiled tables for him showing there had been 49 alleged 91裸聊视频渙ccurrences91裸聊视频� of workplace harassment and violence at CSIS since 2021.
Only eight of these were deemed to have been 91裸聊视频渇ounded.91裸聊视频�
The Dec. 9 letter to LeBlanc, stamped 91裸聊视频渟ecret,91裸聊视频� and the tables in a Dec. 4 email were among documents provided to The Canadian Press in response to an access-to-information request.
The documents show how 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 service91裸聊视频檚 B.C. physical surveillance office.
The statistics about workplace sexual harassment and violence were compiled as part of Vigneault91裸聊视频檚 preparations for an all-staff town hall meeting about the allegations on Dec. 5.
The tables and an explanation provided by CSIS show that 20 of the 49 91裸聊视频渙ccurrences91裸聊视频� since 2021/2022 were ongoing cases. Of the 29 that were 91裸聊视频渞esolved,91裸聊视频� three were withdrawn, while two ended in conciliation, six through an investigation and none through negotiation.
Eighteen, meanwhile, were resolved through the implementation of recommendations reviewed by an occupational health and safety committee.
The numbers were not announced to the 3,000-plus staff who attended the town hall meeting in person and virtually.
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.
91裸聊视频�(A)lthough some would use this metric to criticize CSIS, we believe it is indicative of the advancements we have made to improve our workplace culture, as more employees are now placing their faith and confidence in CSIS91裸聊视频� internal grievance process,91裸聊视频� wrote Ren茅e de Bellefeuille, the service91裸聊视频檚 chief human resources officer.
That report did not describe how frequently cases were resolved to the satisfaction of complainants.
CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam said in an emailed statement that some complaints took longer than normal to complete.
91裸聊视频淥n occasion, a notice of occurrence may take longer to resolve given other mitigating circumstances that may have an impact on the process,91裸聊视频� Balsam said. 91裸聊视频淔or example, the temporary absence of either party, or availability of investigators.91裸聊视频�
Several employees were suspended between 2020 and 2024 and two were terminated, but Balsam said CSIS is 91裸聊视频渘ot in a position to reveal the nature of the conduct for which the employees were suspended and/or terminated because providing details for such a small number of files could breach privacy obligations.91裸聊视频�
Balsam added that the service has 91裸聊视频渟een a higher number of grievances, complaints and conduct cases since the beginning of 2024.91裸聊视频�
The tables list four occurrences as sexual harassment and violence and 45 cases as non-sexual.
In the December town hall meeting, Vigneault told staff the senior officer accused of rape had left the service the day before.
The man91裸聊视频檚 accusers have said he abused them in CSIS vehicles while on covert missions, in one case losing sight of a surveillance target because he allegedly drove to a car park to rape his CSIS partner.
The officers said they could not go to police because they feared breaching the CSIS Act by identifying themselves and their alleged attacker as covert officers, an offence with a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Vigneault91裸聊视频檚 letter to LeBlanc says he told staff there existed an 91裸聊视频渁uthority and process to report a crime to the police.91裸聊视频�
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.
She said she also filed a complaint on behalf of another employee as a witness but has not been contacted in the two years since it was submitted to CSIS.
The former supervisor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the CSIS Act91裸聊视频檚 prohibition against identification, has since left the agency.
She said in an interview that the behaviour of the new senior manager prompted the group to 91裸聊视频渃ome to me with concerns.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭hen people started coming with more formalized complaints,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 had to tell people that either you have to report something or I have to report something.91裸聊视频�
She said the manager was 91裸聊视频渉ighly problematic,91裸聊视频� gossiping about employees, revealing highly personal information and 91裸聊视频渕aligning91裸聊视频� peoples91裸聊视频� character behind their backs.
The former supervisor said she knew formalizing complaints against someone well-connected in the service would be like signing her own 91裸聊视频渃areer death warrant.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 in a position where I have to say something and in saying something, I91裸聊视频檓 probably not going to be believed,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淣o one was going to want to touch me after that.91裸聊视频�
She said that since filing the complaint in 2022, she had left the service for an unrelated job.
91裸聊视频淚t was making me sick,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 couldn91裸聊视频檛 bear the weight of it anymore and I thought I had nowhere else to go.91裸聊视频�
She said she believed the complaint process had 91裸聊视频渦tterly stalled,91裸聊视频� and she had not received updates as required. This could be due to the 91裸聊视频渟low machinery of government,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频楶ROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOUR91裸聊视频� IN CSIS OFFICE
The documents obtained by The Canadian Press also show how CSIS responded to the turmoil in the B.C. surveillance office.
In addition to the two officers who said they were sexually assaulted, two other officers supported their claims and said bullying and harassment were rife in the office.
The documents show the service commissioned a 91裸聊视频渨orkplace climate assessment91裸聊视频� for the office last year. A Nov. 22 letter from B.C.91裸聊视频檚 assistant director general 91裸聊视频� whose name is redacted 91裸聊视频� says the assessment followed allegations of 91裸聊视频減roblematic behaviour with respect to inappropriate conduct, harassment, leadership issues etc., that has resulted in a perceived toxic work environment.91裸聊视频�
But the assessment did not look at the complaints of sexual assault and other wrongdoing made by the two women officers against their senior colleague, who was decades older than them, the documents show.
The assessment91裸聊视频檚 terms of reference say the process focused instead on the 91裸聊视频渃urrent work environment,91裸聊视频� and it would 91裸聊视频渘ot consider information from employees that was previously provided under a separate formal process.91裸聊视频�
A redacted copy of the assessment dated Jan. 22 said staff indicated 91裸聊视频渁 workplace culture that is perceived as fairly positive (with some definite exceptions).91裸聊视频�
The unit91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渕ain shortcomings91裸聊视频� involved the handling of complaints, 91裸聊视频渆specially those related to inappropriate conduct like disrespect, bullying, harassment etc.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭here is a general sense that accountability is significantly lacking and that the enforcement of policies and procedures is often weak,91裸聊视频� the assessors wrote.
The assessment found the unit was understaffed and there had been 91裸聊视频渁 relatively high turnover recently, especially with respect to female members leaving the unit,91裸聊视频� causing a 91裸聊视频渄istinct gender imbalance.91裸聊视频�
It said the workplace was 91裸聊视频渕ale dominated91裸聊视频� and there was an 91裸聊视频渋ntergenerational divide91裸聊视频� between staff.
However, the assessment said staff 91裸聊视频渟trongly disagreed91裸聊视频� the workplace was 91裸聊视频渢oxic,91裸聊视频� but there was a 91裸聊视频減erceived lack of leadership91裸聊视频� which contributed to 91裸聊视频渉ighly ineffective conflict and complaint handling approaches.91裸聊视频�
The two B.C. officers who said they were sexually assaulted lodged anonymous lawsuits in B.C. Supreme Court.
One was dismissed last September on technical grounds that the officer had not exhausted the internal CSIS complaints process, which was 91裸聊视频渙ngoing.91裸聊视频� She said this week that she had 91裸聊视频渘ever been told (by CSIS) that it was still an ongoing investigation at any point.91裸聊视频�
The officer said previously that a report for CSIS with a protected security classification had concluded her rape complaint was unfounded on the balance of probabilities.
The court file for the other officer has been inactive since it was filed in June 2023, with no public response filed by CSIS. Her accusations were investigated by CSIS as part of the other woman91裸聊视频檚 complaint.
Matt Malone, an assistant law professor at Thompson Rivers University who specializes in workplace investigations, reviewed the workplace assessment, and said its language suggested 91裸聊视频渟ystem-wide problems with leadership91裸聊视频� in the unit.
91裸聊视频淭his is very much a situation of where there91裸聊视频檚 smoke, there91裸聊视频檚 fire,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭his workplace assessment is indicative of deeper rooted problems in the service, and you can see that there is an admission that most parties disagreed with the characterization of 91裸聊视频榯oxic work environment,91裸聊视频� but there91裸聊视频檚 very uniform and very consistent discussion around the shortcomings of leadership.91裸聊视频�
Vigneault announced on July 4 that he was retiring from the service after seven years at the helm.
The former Ontario CSIS supervisor said she lodged her complaint in 2022 out of a 91裸聊视频渟trong sense of duty and responsibility,91裸聊视频� hoping to trigger not only a change in the individual, but also 91裸聊视频渂igger change within the organization around leadership.91裸聊视频�
Almost two years later, she said she had little faith such top-down change would happen.
91裸聊视频淵ou can barely remember what you had for breakfast yesterday. Who91裸聊视频檚 going to remember what was said or not said in a meeting once upon a time?91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淚nvestigations are still ongoing, but when you have five or six complaints filed against one manager all in under a year and you continue to promote that person and give them incredible, incredible career opportunities, I don91裸聊视频檛 actually think the organization has been ready to accept responsibility.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭he leadership were born and raised in that same organization. They don91裸聊视频檛 know anything different,91裸聊视频� she added. 91裸聊视频淗ow do you change that? I don91裸聊视频檛 know.91裸聊视频�
