OTTAWA — At the request of Elizabeth May herself, Toronto lawyer Sheila Block will investigate complaints that the leader of the federal Green party bullied and harassed some of her staff members.
May says she is not and has never been a bully, something she expects will be borne out by an independent investigation.
Several former staff members have told The Toronto Star and the Hill Times newspaper that May harassed and intimidated them, creating a hostile working environment.
The allegations include that May yelled at staff, wrote disparaging comments about employees in emails, and cursed at a contract employee who immediately went on stress leave and then quit.
May says she has the support of the party and won't step down, attributing the allegations to disgruntled party members who are trying to end her leadership.
May says Block will determine who will be interviewed and when, and that her findings will be made public once the investigation is complete, hopefully in a few weeks.
