Manitoba cabinet minister harassed college employee in past job, external investigation concluded

Rebecca Chartrand, the recently appointed federal cabinet minister for northern and Arctic affairs, has been embroiled in controversy following allegations of harassment towards a former employee during her time at Winnipeg’s Red River College Polytechnic in 2019. An external investigation commissioned by the college and conducted by a Winnipeg law firm revealed that Chartrand engaged in behavior that constituted personal harassment over a period of several months.

According to documentation obtained by CBC News in April, Chartrand was accused of targeting, undermining, bullying, and harassing a former college employee for eight months. The harassment allegedly included threats to the employee’s position, undermining her work and management of other staff, interfering with her career, damaging her reputation, increasing her workload, and imposing unreasonable deadlines.

The investigation conducted by Rachlis Neville LLP substantiated the harassment complaint, stating that Chartrand’s conduct was severe and had a lasting, harmful effect on the employee. However, since Chartrand had already resigned from her position at RRC Polytech in December 2019, the college decided not to take any further corrective actions.

Chartrand, who was appointed as a minister by Prime Minister Mark Carney in May, has not publicly addressed the allegations. Her spokesperson, Kyle Allen, stated that Chartrand is committed to fostering a healthy work environment characterized by collegiality and mutual respect.

The former employee who filed the harassment complaint left RRC Polytech in 2020 and chose to speak out about her experience after Chartrand was nominated as the Liberal Party candidate for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. She described the months of psychological warfare she endured and expressed her disappointment in the Liberal Party’s candidate vetting process for not addressing the issue.

In response to the allegations, the Liberal Party spokesperson Jenna Ghassabeh stated that they do not comment on specific candidate vetting processes. The former employee also criticized Chartrand for her social media comments and behavior towards individuals who raised concerns about the survey issued during her time at the college.

Chartrand’s spokesperson issued a statement expressing the minister’s regret for her social media post and offering unreserved apologies for the language used. However, some individuals, like Kyle Ross, who was targeted in Chartrand’s post, expressed a desire for a direct apology.

The controversy surrounding Rebecca Chartrand’s alleged harassment at RRC Polytech has raised questions about accountability, workplace behavior, and the vetting process for political candidates. It remains to be seen how Chartrand and the Liberal Party will address these issues moving forward.