Federal government employees in the Department of Public Works have complained that managers are hiring their friends and relatives, alleging “favouritism, unfairness and lack of transparency in staffing”.

According to the department's mental health ombudsman André Latreille, employees complained of:

“psychological harassment” by supervisors including “denigration, shouting, badmouthing, gossip and offensive remarks”.

The information is available in Latreille's 2019 Annual Report To The Deputy Minister.

Blacklock's Reporter notes that the Annual Report does not given concrete examples of hires, and that:

“No managers proven to have hired friends or relatives were named.”

Latreille was hired as the first ombudsman dedicated to mental health in 2017 to look after 13,000 federal employees under Public Service and Procurement Canada.

Last week we reported that half of the employees working for Governor General Julie Payette reported workplace humiliation in the past year.