The federal government says it’s time to renew leadership at the Parole Board of Canada following a sexual harassment investigation.
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Harriet Solloway began investigating allegations of misconduct perpetrated by board member Michael Sanford in April 2022, in light of a whistleblower’s filing. The investigation found “irrefutable evidence” that Sanford, a former Ottawa Police Service inspector, sexually harassed four female employees over eight years starting in 2014.
“The misconduct included lewd and sexually suggestive emails and phone calls, persistent and unwanted flirting, unwanted personal invitations, and even unwanted physical contact, including a kiss on the lips during a workplace holiday lunch,” he said. Solloway.
According to the report, an employee said Sanford put his hands on her shoulders while she worked at her desk and repeatedly asked her to come to dinner. When she refused to have a private conversation with Sanford, he followed her around her office until she hid in a bathroom. He waited outside her, which she said made her shake in fear.
“There is no doubt that the board member’s actions had a serious negative impact on the affected employees. He inflicted fear and humiliation, resulting in sick leave for one of the employees and even the resignation of another,” Solloway said.
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Sanford resigned in 2022 when he learned the investigation had been launched, according to the report, but he also says the problems go beyond a single individual. The commissioner found that Parole Board of Canada management put employees in danger by failing to respond.
“The actions taken by PBC management failed to convey the seriousness of the matter and, in fact, fostered an environment that enabled the Board member’s misconduct,” Solloway said. “PBC management also failed to convey the seriousness of the incidents to the board member, advising him that he should ‘refrain from being too friendly with public servants.’”
Even though the report found that Sanford’s misconduct dates back to 2014, when he first joined the board, the Governor in Council reappointed him to a second term in 2020.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told Global News he is frustrated by the performance of the parole board, which he says he was briefed on weeks ago.
“The ability to have a safe and healthy workplace is something that every Canadian understandably expects. And the parole board did not meet that basic standard,” LeBlanc said.
“So I have directed the department of public safety to work with the parole board, to tell us exactly what plans they have to obviously implement the recommendations, but ensure that these types of circumstances never happen again.”
When the current board president retires at the end of the month, LeBlanc says there will be “an opportunity” to renew leadership on the Parole Board.
“That’s something we’re committed to doing,” he said.
The board president was not available for an interview. However, a communications advisor for the Parole Board of Canada said the commissioner’s recommendations to conduct a review of the management of PBC Ontario’s Kingston office, establish policies to address harassment complaints and implement a process to Assessing potential board members’ past workplace behavior all aligns with the board’s ongoing efforts.
“The PBC’s senior management team is committed to ensuring compliance with these recommendations and will undertake necessary follow-up actions,” the spokesperson said. “When inappropriate conduct is identified, the PBC takes immediate steps to address it and puts measures in place to ensure it does not occur again.”
In her report, the commissioner says she is “satisfied” with the parole board’s response and expects an update on progress in six months.
