Alberta premier’s office hires HR expert to review policies

After being named in a statement of claim by a former UCP chief of staff, the Alberta premier’s office is hiring an independent third-party HR and labour expert to perform a review of its policies.

The CBC reports that Jason Kenney’s office has hired Jamie Pytel, the City of Edmonton’s integrity commissioner, to conduct the review.

Pytel specializes in HR management, whistleblower policy, harassment, ethics, and workplace culture.

The premier’s office was named in a statement of claim by former staffer Ariella Kimmel.

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READ MORE: Former UCP staffer files lawsuit against premier’s office, alleges sexual harassment, heavy drinking

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Kimmel alleges sexual harassment, excessive drinking at the legislature, and a poisoned workplace.

She also claims to have been fired in retaliation after bringing the issues up to senior UCP staff, something the premier’s office has denied.

Any changes to the policies of the premier’s office as a result of the report will be made public.

Does the UCP have a culture problem?

Kimmel’s lawyer told CityNews in a previous interview that political offices can be very toxic at times.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of cases involving political offices and inappropriate conduct,” Kathryn Marshall said.

“Everyone has a right to a safe and healthy workplace. Whether they’re in Alberta, whether they look into work in a political office, wherever they work in this country, you have a right to be respected at work, and to not be retaliated against, and to be treated with dignity.”

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RELATED:

• Allegations levelled against the premier’s office reveal culture problem within the UCP: expert

• Political offices can be very toxic, employment lawyer says

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A women’s and gender studies professor at the University of Alberta says that the allegations from Kimmel reveal a culture problem in the United Conservative Party.

“Given the record of this government on women’s issues and the often dismissive attitude displayed by Premier Kenney, it isn’t really surprising, unfortunately,” Lise Gotell said in an interview last week.

“As we saw with the earlier photos of the premier on the sky palace deck with his ministers and senior staffers drinking, it seems like there is a booze-fueled culture in the premier’s office, and perhaps, in the UCP caucus more widely.”

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• Kenney should resign amid toxic workplace lawsuit, former Alberta minister says

• Schweitzer says he wasn’t involved in firing of his Chief of Staff

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Gotell says it almost seems like a “frat boy culture.”

“We can also see it in the way that staffers have, on Twitter, harassed and gone after senior women academics who are making reasonable policy critiques of the government.”

Gotell added all this comes off as misogynistic and something that needs to be addressed by the government.

-with files from Carly Robsinon, Jeff Slack