Harassment policy governing public servants does not apply to the PMO
OTTAWA — The Prime Minister’s Office has called in an independent investigator to look into unspecified allegations against a senior staffer, but the workplace harassment policy that governs all federal public servants does not technically apply to PMO employees.
“That said, we are absolutely informed by it,” Kate Purchase, communications director for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said Thursday.
News of the policy vacuum comes after Claude-Eric Gagne, Trudeau’s deputy director of operations, confirmed he is on a leave of absence during an independent investigation regarding allegations that came to the attention of the PMO.
In a statement late Wednesday, Gagne said he challenges the veracity of the allegations but is co-operating fully with the third-party investigator, who has given him the opportunity to explain his side.