Why did Canadian Governor General Julie Payette resign?

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Governor General Julie Payette


Ottawa: Julie Payette, the Governor-General of Canada and the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, has resigned from her post on Friday. He did this after a report published on Thursday about alleged workplace harassment claims leveled at his office. The government conducted an independent review of the allegations in July last year. Then there were allegations of a bad environment in the Governor General’s official residence- Redue Hall.

Canadian media quoted sources as saying that the findings of the review were extremely poor. Payete said in a statement, ‘For the integrity of my office and the good of our country and democratic institutions, I have come to the conclusion that a new Governor General should be appointed. I have resigned from the post and told the Prime Minister of Canada about my decision.

What did Prime Minister Trudeau say?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Payette’s resignation, ‘His resignation provides an opportunity for new leadership at Redue Hall to address concerns raised by employees about the workplace during the review. A person will be declared by Queen Elizabeth II in place of Payette.

Governor General Julie Payette

Accused of bullying and insult
Current and former employees working in the Governor General’s office alleged that Payette threatened, publicly humiliated and bullied (intimidated) the employees. For this reason some left the office with tears in their eyes. Payete had responded to the allegations at the time and said that he took it very seriously. The resignation of a Governor General is unprecedented in Canadian history, especially under such circumstances.

Faced criticism
In addition to claims of harassment, Payette faced public criticism for insisting on costly renovations to the redue hall. They have often had differences over the tight security of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This includes not informing the police about going on jogging. His longtime friend Asunata di Lorenzo, who was appointed by Payette as Secretary to the Governor General, was accused of mistreating employees.

People quit their jobs
Lorenzo also left the job due to Payette’s behavior. Announcing his resignation, Payete apologized for the ‘tension’ in the redue hall over the past few months. He said, ‘Everyone has the right to a healthy and safe work environment at all times and under all circumstances. It seems that this has not always happened and I am sorry for that.

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