Time for change on harassment, including on Parliament Hill: minister

The time has come to crack down on harassment in federal workplaces, including Parliament Hill, says Employment Minister Patty Hajdu.

"We have been powerfully reminded in Canada, and indeed around the world, that harassment and violence remains a common experience for people in the workplace —and Parliament Hill, our own workplace, is especially affected," Hajdu said Monday in the House of Commons as she kicked off debate on proposed legislation to support safe workplaces.

"Parliament Hill features distinct power imbalances that perpetuate the culture that people with a lot of power and prestige can and have used that power to victimize the people who work so hard for us," she said.

"It's a culture where people who are victims of harassment or sexual violence do not feel safe to bring those complaints forward."

The legislation, introduced last fall, is aimed at giving workers and employers a clear course of action to better deal with allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.

The changes would merge separate labour standards for sexual harassment and violence and subject them to the same scrutiny and dispute resolution process, which could mean bringing in an outside investigator to review allegations.

The proposed rules, which also apply to banks, transportation, telecommunications and other federally regulated industries, would enforce strict privacy rules to protect victims of harassment or violence.

"Things need to change and it starts with saying emphatically that it is never OK," Hajdu told the House.

"It is never OK for someone to take advantage of a position of power to victimize another person. It is never OK that victims, far too often women or young workers or people of colour or people of the LGBTQ2 community, have been forced to stay silent and keep their trauma to themselves."

Bill C-65 comes to second reading in the House of Commons at a time when the so-called #MeToo movement has reached Parliament Hill, including allegations against Liberal MP Kent Hehr, who resigned from cabinet last week pending an investigation.

Hajdu said #MeToo has helped focus a spotlight on the problem.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that that light does not fade."

The proposed legislation would give more power to staffers, she said — including by making sure they have access to a neutral third party to examine their complaints, so that they are not forced to rely upon the MP or senator who employs them.