Toxic work climate: Ottawa restores voluntary funding to the International Organization of La Francophonie

The federal government will restore $3 million in voluntary funding granted to the International Organization of La Francophonie, a year after suspending it due to a toxic work climate.

A government source at Global Affairs Canada confirms that Canada will pay the contribution again after observing “progress” in the internal management of the organization led by Rwandan Louise Mushikiwabo.

Canada is the second largest donor to the OIF, after France, with statutory funding of nearly $11 million last year, to which is usually added a voluntary contribution of $3 million.

But the Trudeau government cut off this additional boost in April 2023, after learning of a devastating internal survey on the work climate within the OIF.

The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs took up the pen to explain the reasons in a letter addressed to the Secretary General. “The results of the recent consultation of OIF staff on issues of moral and sexual harassment are also troubling, particularly in the context where the OIF policy on combating harassment, ready for several months, n “has still not been signed,” wrote Mélanie Joly.

Revelations

The internal survey, conducted among 209 of the approximately 300 OIF employees, reported a poor working climate: 44% of respondents felt they had been victims of moral harassment at work and 9% of sexual harassment.

In addition, media revelations demonstrated that the secretary general had reorganized the organization chart of the OIF in order to arrogate more powers to herself, to the detriment of other executives of the OIF, including Quebecer Caroline St-Hilaire, recently appointed before taking up position number 2 of the OIF, that of administrator.

Before taking up the post of M^me St-Hilaire, Louise Mushikiwabo took advantage of the period of uncertainty to remove from the administrator the choice of international representations, in addition to making numerous discretionary appointments.

In her letter, Mélanie Joly denounced “changes made to the governance of the Organization [nominations discrétionnaires, modifications à l’organigramme, retrait de responsabilités à l’administrateur]made without notice, without consultation and in the absence of an administrator.

Since then, the Canadian government says it has observed steps in the right direction within the organization which represents 88 French-speaking states, in particular thanks to the adoption of the “Policy for the prevention and fight against all forms of harassment” and mechanisms for its application.

With the collaboration of Raphaël Pirro