Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
National

Federal Government Investigators Reviewed CBC For Labour Code Violations

The Canadian Press, 11 Dec, 2015 10:53 AM
    OTTAWA — Newly released documents show the federal government concluded the CBC didn't break any labour laws months before a critical report detailed how the broadcaster failed to address troubling behaviour by former radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
     
    Federal labour investigators quietly reviewed the CBC for possible labour code violations in November 2014, about one month after the CBC parted ways with the radio host amid allegations of sexually harassment and misconduct in the workplace.
     
    The review itself was short: two questions via email to the CBC about its sexual harassment policies.
     
    An April briefing note to then-labour minister Kellie Leitch said investigators found the answers to the questions showed the CBC was in compliance with the requirements in the Canada Labour Code for employers to protect their workers from sexual harassment of any kind, including inappropriate comments, gestures or contact.
     
    In April, the results of an external review ordered by the CBC found the broadcaster knew about misconduct allegations against Ghomeshi, but did little to stop it.
     
    The report made nine recommendations to prevent similar problems in the future.
     
    CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said the broadcaster is focused on training, surveys, spot audits, and workplace investigations, among other measures, in response to the Ghomeshi report.
     
    Ghomeshi faces five charges of sexual assault and one charge of overcoming resistance by choking. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Ghomeshi has said he has engaged in rough sex but that it was consensual.
     
     
    Ghomeshi's case returns to court in Toronto on Feb. 1, 2016.
     
    The April briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act suggests the Ghomeshi affair could have implications for the federal government. Those portions that would explain the source of federal concerns have been blacked out in the document.
     
    The Canadian Press first asked Employment and Social Development Canada about the briefing note and investigation on Tuesday. The department has yet to respond.
     
    The labour wing of Employment and Social Development Canada doesn't investigate individual cases of sexual harassment in the workplace, but can reach into federally-regulated businesses to make sure they are following the labour code.
     
    Those who don't can face sanctions or even prosecution.
     
    The Ghomeshi affair caused enough of a stir inside the department that officials wrote to Leitch that they were ready to target other broadcasters for reviews to make sure the problems at the CBC didn't exist in similar workplaces.
     
    Officials wrote in April that they wanted to have the communications and broadcast industry conduct "proactive self-assessment" investigations to make sure they were meeting their responsibilities about preventing sexual harassment in the workplace.
     
    Those self-assessment reviews are designed to nudge employers into following the law and help the department target those companies that show some deficiencies.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Couple Whose Marriage Was Questioned By U.K. Authorities Now Living In Canada

    Couple Whose Marriage Was Questioned By U.K. Authorities Now Living In Canada
    Maria Summers and her husband David had long-standing plans to spend their retirement years in David's home country — the United Kingdom. 

    Couple Whose Marriage Was Questioned By U.K. Authorities Now Living In Canada

    Alberta Premier Says Manmeet Bhullar Was Man Of 'energy, Youth, Passion'

    Alberta Premier Says Manmeet Bhullar Was Man Of 'energy, Youth, Passion'
    Manmeet Bhullar, who was 35, was injured Monday afternoon when he was struck by a semi while helping a motorist whose car had flipped on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway north of Red Deer.

    Alberta Premier Says Manmeet Bhullar Was Man Of 'energy, Youth, Passion'

    Canada's Sikh Community Offers Support To Syrian Refugees

    Canada's Sikh Community Offers Support To Syrian Refugees
    The Sikh community in Canada came together to offer services to support the Syrian refugees who are expected to arrive in the area over the next few months.

    Canada's Sikh Community Offers Support To Syrian Refugees

    B.C. Finance Minister Forecasts Budget Surplus Decline By $19 Million, But Stable Economic Growth

    B.C. Finance Minister Forecasts Budget Surplus Decline By $19 Million, But Stable Economic Growth
    B.C.'s budget surplus was forecast at $284 last February, but now it's projected to be $265 million, down $19 million.

    B.C. Finance Minister Forecasts Budget Surplus Decline By $19 Million, But Stable Economic Growth

    Ban On Willing Sex Between Underage Teens And Adults Ruled Constitutional

    Ban On Willing Sex Between Underage Teens And Adults Ruled Constitutional
    TORONTO — A cornerstone law aimed at protecting teens from sexual exploitation by adults is constitutional, even if the sex is clearly consensual, Ontario's top court has ruled.

    Ban On Willing Sex Between Underage Teens And Adults Ruled Constitutional

    B.C.'s Child Poverty Rate Tops Federal Average, Prompts Demand For Improvement

    B.C.'s Child Poverty Rate Tops Federal Average, Prompts Demand For Improvement
    A coalition of 95 British Columbia groups says the provincial government is failing to help its youngest and poorest citizens.

    B.C.'s Child Poverty Rate Tops Federal Average, Prompts Demand For Improvement