When Canada害羞草研究所檚 spy chief wrote a secret letter to the public safety minister last December 害羞草研究所� the week after a report emerged that two young women in the service had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague 害羞草研究所� it came with a warning.
David Vigneault, then director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told Dominic LeBlanc that he expected 害羞草研究所渕ore cases to surface in the coming weeks,害羞草研究所� and that he had to be 害羞草研究所渢ransparent害羞草研究所� about this with the minister
害羞草研究所�(We) will continue to make the difficult decisions required to make a safe workplace,害羞草研究所� he wrote, saying that the report by The Canadian Press had left staff 害羞草研究所渞eeling.害羞草研究所�
Vigneault, who stepped down in July, had reason to be concerned.
In the days after the report was published, Vigneault害羞草研究所檚 staff compiled tables for him showing there had been 49 alleged 害羞草研究所渙ccurrences害羞草研究所� of workplace harassment and violence at CSIS since 2021.
Only eight of these were deemed to have been 害羞草研究所渇ounded.害羞草研究所�
The Dec. 9 letter to LeBlanc, stamped 害羞草研究所渟ecret,害羞草研究所� 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 service害羞草研究所檚 B.C. physical surveillance office.
The statistics about workplace sexual harassment and violence were compiled as part of Vigneault害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渙ccurrences害羞草研究所� since 2021/2022 were ongoing cases. Of the 29 that were 害羞草研究所渞esolved,害羞草研究所� three were withdrawn, while two ended in conciliation, six through an investigation and none through negotiation.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.
害羞草研究所�(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 CSIS害羞草研究所� internal grievance process,害羞草研究所� wrote Ren茅e de Bellefeuille, the service害羞草研究所檚 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.
害羞草研究所淥n occasion, a notice of occurrence may take longer to resolve given other mitigating circumstances that may have an impact on the process,害羞草研究所� Balsam said. 害羞草研究所淔or example, the temporary absence of either party, or availability of investigators.害羞草研究所�
Several employees were suspended between 2020 and 2024 and two were terminated, but Balsam said CSIS is 害羞草研究所渘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.害羞草研究所�
Balsam added that the service has 害羞草研究所渟een a higher number of grievances, complaints and conduct cases since the beginning of 2024.害羞草研究所�
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 man害羞草研究所檚 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.
Vigneault害羞草研究所檚 letter to LeBlanc says he told staff there existed an 害羞草研究所渁uthority and process to report a crime to the police.害羞草研究所�
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 Act害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渃ome to me with concerns.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭hen people started coming with more formalized complaints,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 had to tell people that either you have to report something or I have to report something.害羞草研究所�
She said the manager was 害羞草研究所渉ighly problematic,害羞草研究所� gossiping about employees, revealing highly personal information and 害羞草研究所渕aligning害羞草研究所� peoples害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所渃areer death warrant.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 in a position where I have to say something and in saying something, I害羞草研究所檓 probably not going to be believed,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淣o one was going to want to touch me after that.害羞草研究所�
She said that since filing the complaint in 2022, she had left the service for an unrelated job.
害羞草研究所淚t was making me sick,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 couldn害羞草研究所檛 bear the weight of it anymore and I thought I had nowhere else to go.害羞草研究所�
She said she believed the complaint process had 害羞草研究所渦tterly stalled,害羞草研究所� and she had not received updates as required. This could be due to the 害羞草研究所渟low machinery of government,害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所楶ROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOUR害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所渨orkplace climate assessment害羞草研究所� for the office last year. A Nov. 22 letter from B.C.害羞草研究所檚 assistant director general 害羞草研究所� whose name is redacted 害羞草研究所� says the assessment followed allegations of 害羞草研究所減roblematic behaviour with respect to inappropriate conduct, harassment, leadership issues etc., that has resulted in a perceived toxic work environment.害羞草研究所�
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 assessment害羞草研究所檚 terms of reference say the process focused instead on the 害羞草研究所渃urrent work environment,害羞草研究所� and it would 害羞草研究所渘ot consider information from employees that was previously provided under a separate formal process.害羞草研究所�
A redacted copy of the assessment dated Jan. 22 said staff indicated 害羞草研究所渁 workplace culture that is perceived as fairly positive (with some definite exceptions).害羞草研究所�
The unit害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渕ain shortcomings害羞草研究所� involved the handling of complaints, 害羞草研究所渆specially those related to inappropriate conduct like disrespect, bullying, harassment etc.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭here is a general sense that accountability is significantly lacking and that the enforcement of policies and procedures is often weak,害羞草研究所� the assessors wrote.
The assessment found the unit was understaffed and there had been 害羞草研究所渁 relatively high turnover recently, especially with respect to female members leaving the unit,害羞草研究所� causing a 害羞草研究所渄istinct gender imbalance.害羞草研究所�
It said the workplace was 害羞草研究所渕ale dominated害羞草研究所� and there was an 害羞草研究所渋ntergenerational divide害羞草研究所� between staff.
However, the assessment said staff 害羞草研究所渟trongly disagreed害羞草研究所� the workplace was 害羞草研究所渢oxic,害羞草研究所� but there was a 害羞草研究所減erceived lack of leadership害羞草研究所� which contributed to 害羞草研究所渉ighly ineffective conflict and complaint handling approaches.害羞草研究所�
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 害羞草研究所渙ngoing.害羞草研究所� She said this week that she had 害羞草研究所渘ever been told (by CSIS) that it was still an ongoing investigation at any point.害羞草研究所�
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 woman害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渟ystem-wide problems with leadership害羞草研究所� in the unit.
害羞草研究所淭his is very much a situation of where there害羞草研究所檚 smoke, there害羞草研究所檚 fire,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭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 害羞草研究所榯oxic work environment,害羞草研究所� but there害羞草研究所檚 very uniform and very consistent discussion around the shortcomings of leadership.害羞草研究所�
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 害羞草研究所渟trong sense of duty and responsibility,害羞草研究所� hoping to trigger not only a change in the individual, but also 害羞草研究所渂igger change within the organization around leadership.害羞草研究所�
Almost two years later, she said she had little faith such top-down change would happen.
害羞草研究所淵ou can barely remember what you had for breakfast yesterday. Who害羞草研究所檚 going to remember what was said or not said in a meeting once upon a time?害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所淚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 don害羞草研究所檛 actually think the organization has been ready to accept responsibility.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭he leadership were born and raised in that same organization. They don害羞草研究所檛 know anything different,害羞草研究所� she added. 害羞草研究所淗ow do you change that? I don害羞草研究所檛 know.害羞草研究所�
