Elephant on the Hill

In the spring of 2018, 266 political staff of Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, and Senators took part in an anonymous survey about their perception and experiences of sexual harassment and assault in their workplace. The survey was initiated and reported on by Canadian Press journalist Joanna Smith. The Samara Centre for Democracy provided feedback on the survey's design and agreed to be a public repository for the anonymized, aggregated data. 

The responses reveal that Parliament is an unsafe workplace for many. Twenty nine percent of respondents said they personally had been sexually harassed at least once while working in Parliament. Nine percent had been sexually assaulted. The majority of these incidents were not reported.

Political staffers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault because they are usually young, beginning their careers, have less social capital, and are precariously employed (doing contract work, switching between MP offices without much notice, and being hired directly by MPs offices instead of a central hiring body). Their workplace is also characterized by the unique dynamic of partisanship—strong loyalty to elected representatives and the political parties they are a part of. 

These conditions likely apply to other political staff, including those in local constituency offices, pages, interns, House of Commons employees, employees in provincial/territorial and local/municipal politics, and campaign workers and volunteers. The number of people that could be affected is immense. 

There is a problem of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace at the very centre of our democracy — the very place which sets the standards and policies for the rest of the country and is usually seen as a beacon of good governance. 

As of the end of this parliamentary session (June 22, 2018), Bill-65, a bill which aims to tackle harassment and sexual violence in federal workplaces, has passed the third reading stage in the Senate. It will likely receive Royal Assent once the House resumes this fall. The bill will require employers to prevent and act on harassment and violence, including sexual harassment and violence, and will require employers to investigate and report on any incidents they have been made aware of. All federal employers will also need to put in place a sexual harassment policy and report incidents of its use to Parliament. Parliamentary and political staff will be included under these new guidelines. 

The House of Commons has also made it mandatory for MPs to receive anti-harassment training, and for employees, other House staff, interns, and volunteers to be briefed on the House of Commons policy against harassment as soon as they start their job. 

Whether these actions will be enough to change the culture and conditions that make political staffers vulnerable in Parliament will require time and further research. Ultimately, Canada’s democratic health will be hurt if talented, committed, and ambitious people (especially women) continue to exit or avoid the halls of Parliament because of a work culture that is not safe and productive.

*This PDF was created in 2018, and may contain inactive links and/or outdated references.
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