Toxic climate: a former manager of Indian Oil and Gas of Canada testifies

If Yvette Zentner could turn back time, the career civil servant would give advice to her younger self: “Don’t apply to PGIC.”

It refers to Indian Oil and Gas of Canada (PGIC)a federal agency based in Alberta that oversees fossil fuel exploitation on First Nations lands. In recent years, there have been reports of “staggering” racism and a toxic work environment.

But Ms. Zentner, a member of the Siksika Nation east of Calgary, spent 27 years with the agency. She is one of two lead plaintiffs in a proposed class action lawsuit, which was first filed in 2021.

The claims of systemic discrimination made in the lawsuit have not been proven and have been tested in a process called “certification.” The federal government rejects the case and wants it dismissed entirely, as it should have been resolved through the internal mechanisms of PGICand not by the courts.

Regarding PGIC, I didn't have a good experience said Ms. Zentner in an interview conducted from her home in Okotoks, a small municipality south of Calgary.

After retiring in May, Ms. Zentner publicly shared her story of unfulfilled ambitions and dashed hopes – a story lawyers say is emblematic of the experience of Indigenous employees at PGIC.

I thought this would be a very good professional opportunity for me she remembers. But I quickly realized that it wouldn't be that easy. I faced racism, systemic racism, from day one.

She describes being arbitrarily denied training and experiencing persistent harassment from a superior – a finding also included in the report of an external investigation conducted in 2015 and cited in her affidavit. Mrs. Zentner – and that she eventually lost all hope.

I was left there for almost 18 years she said.

I think opportunities for advancement would have come more easily if I wasn't Indigenous, and maybe even if I wasn't a woman.

She joined in this case with others who say they entered the bureaucracy with the hope of change, but found the environment discriminatory and harmful.

There were so many times when I went home crying, where I wanted to stop.

But I couldn't and I didn't want to, so I held on. And the day I got my full pension, I got out of there she said.

A traumatic cross-examination

Justice Department lawyers recently cross-examined Ms. Zentner and other lead plaintiff Letitia Wells, a former contractor for PGIC.

It traumatized me again Ms. Wells, who is from the Kainai Nation, said of the experience.

Ms. Wells is a survivor of the day schools and a survivor of physical, sexual and domestic abuse, as well as a descendant of several generations of residential school survivors, as stated in her sworn statement to the court.

She claims to have been the victim of sexual harassment by a senior manager. During cross-examination, she was made to reread her allegations and relive the alleged incidents.

After reading these allegations [de nature] sexual, I couldn't believe how much they had affected me, because once again I am faced with a powerful institution trying to discredit me confided Letitia Wells.

The government argues that employees cannot sue because their right to use the internal grievance process supersedes their right to sue.

Wells calls the government's attempt to dismiss the case on this technical basis “shameless.”

The Indian Oil and Gas mechanisms of Canada have failed. The grievance procedures they have are only of service value she said.

The two plaintiffs claim the organization is plagued by division and fear of retaliation, based on a report produced by third-party consultants in December 2021 and since filed in court. This report calls the workplace a “minefield” due to racists and widely noted toxicity.

The firm reported that when a consultant asked an employee to PGIC if he knew any natives, he replied: Only those I pass over in the street .

At the beginning of the year, PGIC hired Wallace Fox, who served as longtime chief of the Cree Nation ofOnion Lakeas general manager. Wallace Fox has been the subject of domestic violence allegations, including a guilty plea in 2016 to battery against a former common-law partner.

Yvette Zentner believes that Indigenous Services Canada (SAC) should have taken this background into account during the hiring process.

CBC requested an interview with Mr. Fox, but was redirected to SACwho responded with a written statement to the interview request.

The hiring process for the CEO and general manager complied with the Public Service Employment Act wrote spokesperson Eric Head.

He declared that PGIC adheres to the policy and regulations regarding the prevention of harassment and violence in the workplace, but declined to make further comments due to privacy concerns.

Generally speaking, Eric Head said the agency takes all allegations seriously and is committed to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of all employees, highlighting the seven steps taken by PGIC to resolve the alleged problems.

IOGC continues to take necessary steps to ensure the workplace is safe, respectful and free from harassment and discriminationhe wrote.

With reporting from CBC's Brett Forester Indigenous