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Winnipeg Free Press
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba cabinet minister breaks silence about 2019 workplace harassment probe
Manitoba's sole cabinet minister has defended her work at a Winnipeg college and said she's being unjustly targeted more than five years after an investigation concluded she had harassed an employee. At least three employees of Red River College Polytechnic filed separate complaints about the behaviour of their boss, Rebecca Chartrand, in 2019. Chartrand, who won the riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski for the Liberals in April, was chosen by Prime Minister Mark Carney to be part of his inner circle. Between her failed 2015 run for office and her successful second try, the new MP and minister of Northern and Arctic affairs spent about 2-½ years in a senior management role at RRC Polytech's Indigenous education unit. On Tuesday, Chartrand provided a lengthy statement in which she touted her commitment to positive change and the progress she made on 'enhancing programs and fostering a student-centered environment' at RRC Polytech. She said her work is a 'source of great pride.' 'Let us concentrate on building up the community and supporting positive developments within the Indigenous community, instead of focusing on negativity that fans lateral violence within the Indigenous community,' the cabinet minister said via email Tuesday. The findings of the 2019 probe into her treatment of one particular employee on campus was leaked against the backdrop of the rookie politician's sudden rise up the ranks on Parliament Hill. Investigators from Rachlis Neville LLP concluded Chartrand had repeatedly harassed and humiliated a subordinate, who is also an Indigenous woman, over an extended period in 2019. RRC Polytech hired the firm that fall, after undertaking an internal investigation sparked by the same complainant. That one concluded Chartrand had breached school policy when she pushed through a controversial student survey — a project that several of her colleagues had raised concerns about — and taken retaliatory action against the employee who flagged the suspected breach. That individual, who left the college in 2020, repeatedly flagged the gist of those conclusions with her federal Liberal contacts before the April 28 election. 'As an Indigenous Liberal member who supports Mark Carney, I have been trying to warn the Winnipeg Liberal head office about (Chartrand). She will be a liability if elected and a scandal waiting to happen,' she wrote in an April 6 email to a fellow Liberal who was heavily involved in Carney's campaign. 'Let us concentrate on building up the community and supporting positive developments within the Indigenous community, instead of focusing on negativity that fans lateral violence within the Indigenous community.'–Rebecca Chartrand The Free Press has interviewed that employee and four others who worked closely with Chartrand when she oversaw Indigenous strategy at RRC Polytech from June 2017 to December 2019. Each of them expressed serious concerns about her treatment of employees — either themselves, former colleagues or both — who had voiced differing views to ones she held. Three said they made written complaints about her, but the report of only one of them was escalated and substantiated. They all agreed to share their experiences on the condition of anonymity. 'She's very authoritarian and she surrounds herself with 'yes' people and if you're not a 'yes' person, you're not going to be there — or she's going to make it really tough for you,' one source said. She said she frequently witnessed what she called 'lateral violence' — undermining and bullying of the whistleblower whose complaint was escalated. Chartrand's hostile behaviour made others 'cower,' the source said. Another ex-staffer recalled being fired on the basis of 'insubordination' after questioning the appropriateness and legalities of collecting deeply personal information from prospective students, via the survey. Chartrand faced criticism during the 2018-19 school year for creating 'an assessment readiness tool,' exclusively prepared for applicants of an Indigenous studies program, that requested details about their alcohol and recreational drug use. Multiple sources described Chartrand as a vindictive ladder-climber, citing one instance when she uninvited a staff member from an international trip to a conference he had pitched they go to because they'd had a disagreement. The employee in question had expressed problems with the survey, sources said. The decision to push forward the initiative and write off workers' concerns showed her 'bad judgment,' said a fourth ex-employee who indicated he contacted the federal NDP after learning Chartrand was nominated as the Liberal candidate for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. That employee said he left RRC Polytech when his complaints involving Chartrand were unresolved. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. The Liberal party has declined to comment on the vetting of specific candidate applications, citing confidentiality. RRC Polytech has released limited information about Chartrand's tenure over the same rationale. 'I'm really disappointed at (the Liberals') lack of integrity or their lack of an answer to the people,' said the whistleblower whose complaints were substantiated by Rachlis Neville LLP. 'To be honest, it makes me question if the prime minister has been given the correct information to make the best decisions for who is in key positions.' She noted it was the party that had first brought her and Chartrand together, as they both worked on her 2015 bid under the leadership of then-Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cabinet minister harassed employee during stint at RRC Polytech: 2019 probe
Manitoba's only federal cabinet minister was found to have repeatedly harassed an employee she managed in a role she held at Red River College Polytechnic five years ago. A whistleblower has leaked the findings of a 2019 workplace investigation into newly elected Liberal MP Rebecca Chartrand's conduct when she was employed by the post-secondary institute in Winnipeg. Chartrand was elected to represent the riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski in the April 28 election. JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed the rookie politician to his inner circle just over three weeks ago. Chartrand, minister of northern and arctic affairs, was tasked with overseeing the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. Documents obtained by the Free Press show RRC Polytech hired a local law firm to probe a complaint made about Chartrand, the school's then-executive director of Indigenous strategy, on Sept. 16, 2019. The complainant was informed three months later that the grievance had been substantiated by third-party investigators from Rachlis Neville LLP. 'Specifically, they found that Ms. Chartrand's conduct amounted to personal harassment,' Curtis Craven, director of human resources for RRC Polytech, wrote in a Dec. 19, 2019 letter to the employee. Craven indicated the investigators found 'severe' issues related to Chartrand's approach to engaging with, assigning work to and managing the performance of the complainant between June and September of that year. '(Chartrand's) conduct could reasonably cause an individual to be humiliated or intimidated and was repeated, and had a lasting, harmful effect on you,' he wrote. The employer had no plans to take 'any further corrective actions,' given Chartrand's departure — the circumstances of which were not made clear in the letter — from the campus, the HR director added. Chartrand's LinkedIn page indicates she began her position at the school in August 2017 and left in January 2020. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. She moved on to various other jobs, including for the Seven Oaks School Division and Indspire, over the last five years. The experienced Anishinaabe leader from Pine Creek First Nation in Treaty 4 remains listed as the founding president and chief executive officer of Indigenous Strategy Alliance. Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr worked alongside Chartrand at her consulting firm before he first secured his seat for the Liberals in a 2023 byelection. Neither Chartrand nor the Liberal Party of Canada immediately responded to requests for comment Thursday. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba cabinet minister harassed college employee in past job, external investigation concluded
Recently appointed federal cabinet minister Rebecca Chartrand harassed a former employee at Winnipeg's Red River College Polytechnic over a period of several months in 2019, according to an external investigation commissioned by the college and conducted by a Winnipeg law firm. Chartrand, elected in April as the Liberal member of Parliament for the northern Manitoba riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, was appointed by Prime Minister Mark Carney in May as the minister of northern and Arctic affairs and the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. According to documentation provided to CBC News in April — but first reported this week by Canadaland — Chartrand was the subject of a harassment investigation during the final months of her two-year stint as executive director of Indigenous strategy for RRC Polytech, a Winnipeg post-secondary institution with annual enrolment of approximately 21,000 students. In a complaint filed with RRC Polytech under its discrimination and harassment policy in September 2019, a former college employee claimed she was "targeted, undermined, bullied and harassed" by Chartrand over a period of eight months. The harassment took the form of threatening the employee's position, undermining her work and her management of other staff, interfering with her career, negatively impacting her reputation, increasing her workload and imposing unreasonable deadlines, according to the complaint. In a letter dated Dec. 19, 2019, RRC Polytech human resources director Curtis Craven informed the former employee that investigators with the Winnipeg law firm Rachlis Neville LLP substantiated the harassment complaint. The law firm found Chartrand's conduct "amounted to personal harassment in that over a period of time, the manner in which she engaged with you and the approach used to assign work and manage your performance constituted conduct which was severe," Craven said in the letter. "Such conduct could reasonably cause an individual to be humiliated or intimidated and was repeated, and had a lasting, harmful effect on you," he wrote. However, "given that Ms. Chartrand is no longer with the college, the college will not be taking any further corrective actions arising from this investigation," Craven's letter said. Chartrand was employed by RRC Polytech from June 2017 until December 2019, when she resigned, college spokesperson Emily Doer said in a statement. Chartrand was not available to speak about her time at the college, spokesperson Kyle Allen said this week. "Minister Chartrand is committed to fostering a healthy work environment for all persons in the workplace, characterized by collegiality and mutual respect," Allen said in a statement. RRC Polytech also declined to address Chartrand's time at the post-secondary institution. "In keeping with privacy legislation and college policy, we do not discuss personnel matters regarding current or former employees," Doer said in a statement. 'Months of psychological warfare': former employee The former college employee who filed the harassment complaint left RRC Polytech in 2020. In an interview, she said she had no intention of disclosing the investigation until Chartrand was nominated by the Liberal Party as its candidate for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. The employee, whom CBC News is not identifying out of concerns about the potential impact on her employment, said she first attempted to contact Liberal Party officials about her experience but was unsuccessful. "I really did just want to forget about this and move on," said the former employee, who describes herself as a Liberal supporter. "I was voting for Mark Carney. I did not want what happened to me to happen to anybody in Ottawa. I didn't want Mark Carney to be hurt by any further actions, whether something of this nature ever happened again." Liberal Party spokesperson Jenna Ghassabeh said the party does not comment on the specifics of the candidate vetting process. "Canadians expect all political parties to do their due diligence on all prospective candidates, and the Liberal Party of Canada has a rigorous process to appropriately conduct such reviews," Ghassabeh said in a statement. The former RRC Polytech employee said she ultimately contacted several media outlets about her experience after Chartrand made social media comments relating to her own time at the college. The former employee said she came to know Chartrand in 2015, when the now-MP made an earlier run for office in Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. She came in second in that race to the NDP's Niki Ashton, who Chartrand then defeated in April's federal election. The former employee said she left another job to work under Chartrand at the college and had a good working relationship until 2019, when a nine-page survey was prepared to determine the needs of incoming students in the Indigenous studies program. The former employee said the survey was amended to include questions about drug and alcohol use, against the recommendations of an external consultant. The college did not disclose that the responses to these questions might determine whether respondents would receive financial assistance, the former employee said. The survey was withdrawn following complaints from prospective students and prompted an apology from Chartrand, according to a Global News story in 2019. The former employee said after she advised against including the questions in the survey, what had been a positive working relationship with Chartrand deteriorated into harassment. "It was like months of psychological warfare," the former employee said. "I've just tried to move on from all of my own personal grief and trauma around this because it has impacted me personally and professionally, and I wanted to just forget about it and move on. But it hasn't gone away." In a Facebook post on election night, a former resident of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski named Kyle Ross drew attention to the RRC Polytech survey issued during Chartrand's time at the college. In a since-deleted post of her own, Chartrand accused Ross of engaging in "lateral violence" and sought information about his whereabouts. "If anyone has any information on where this individual works or resides, please reach out publicly," she wrote. Chartrand spokesperson Allen said the minister regrets the post. "Regarding the social media post referenced, Minister Chartrand deeply regrets the language and tone she expressed. She unreservedly offers her apologies for the language of the post," Allen said in a statement. Ross said in an interview he would have preferred a direct apology for trying to discern where he lives and works. "I feel like a direct message would be nice," he said.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
National Association of Friendship Centres Extends Congratulations to Newly Appointed Federal Cabinet
OTTAWA, Ontario, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) extends its congratulations to the newly appointed federal Cabinet. We recognize the significant responsibility entrusted to each Minister in shaping the policies and priorities of this government, and we look forward to working collaboratively to advance the prosperity, well-being, and self-determination of urban Indigenous peoples across the country. The NAFC is especially encouraged by the appointment of several Ministers to portfolios with direct impact on Indigenous communities. We are particularly inspired by the historic appointment of two Indigenous women to Cabinet. The Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, as Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, and the Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, as Minister of Indigenous Services, bring extensive knowledge, lived experience, and deep connections to their communities. Their leadership will be vital in ensuring federal programs and policies are responsive to Indigenous priorities and grounded in the realities of those they are meant to serve. We also acknowledge and welcome the appointment of the Honourable Rebecca Alty as Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations. Minister Alty's experience and leadership in northern communities bring valuable perspective to a portfolio that is central to reconciliation and the renewal of relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. 'These appointments reflect a meaningful shift toward inclusive governance and Indigenous leadership in areas that impact our communities directly,' said Jocelyn Formsma, Chief Executive Officer of the NAFC. 'We look forward to engaging with the new Cabinet to build on existing partnerships, expand culturally relevant urban Indigenous services, and work together toward stronger, healthier futures for all Indigenous peoples.' The NAFC remains committed to working in close partnership with the federal government to ensure that Friendship Centres—community-driven, culturally grounded hubs serving over one million urban Indigenous people—continue to play a central role in delivering effective, equitable, and culturally relevant services across the country. We are encouraged by the Liberal Party's platform commitment to increase support for Indigenous mental health initiatives, invest in healing and wellness centres, and strengthen the network of Friendship Centres across Canada. This commitment presents a hopeful opportunity to deepen collaboration and advance shared priorities through sustained, meaningful partnership. As we look ahead, it is essential that the federal government uphold its partnership with Indigenous organizations like the NAFC, and provide the sustained resources and support needed for Friendship Centres to thrive. We are confident that through strong, collaborative relationships with this new Cabinet, we can make meaningful progress in addressing the needs of urban Indigenous communities and building a future that honours our rights, cultures, and aspirations. FOR MEDIA INQUIRES:John PailléSenior Communications Coordinatorjpaille@ The NAFC represents over 100 local Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations in every province and territory in Canada (except Prince Edward Island). Friendship Centres are urban Indigenous community hubs that provide a wide range of programs and services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people living in urban, rural, and northern communities. Collectively, Friendship Centres are the largest and most comprehensive urban Indigenous service delivery network in in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Mandy Gull-Masty becomes first Indigenous person to head Indigenous Services
Mandy Gull-Masty, minister of Indigenous services, takes part in the cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi OTTAWA — For the first time ever, an Indigenous person has been chosen to lead the federal department responsible for providing services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Mandy Gull-Masty, former grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees, was sworn in this morning as the Indigenous services minister. Read the full story: Cabinet includes two dozen new faces Gull-Masty replaces longtime minister Patty Hajdu, who will now serve as the minister of jobs and families and the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario. Gull-Masty, a first-time MP, won her riding of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik — Eeyou by beating Bloc Québécois MP Sylvie Bérubé, who had held it since 2019. Sitting with her at the cabinet table will be rookie Anishinaabe MP and minister Rebecca Chartrand, who takes on the northern affairs portfolio, and Métis secretary of state for rural development Buckley Belanger. Gull-Masty inherits a series of uncompleted tasks in her new portfolio, including reforming the child welfare system and ensuring communities have access to clean drinking water. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
