Honourable colleagues, I rise to speak to Inquiry No. 26, on policies and mechanisms for responding to harassment complaints.

On too many occasions I have been asked if my successful career as a female engineer and researcher was smooth sailing or like a quiet river swim. I hope you already know that it was neither. The challenges of learning difficult and abstract concepts and math tools were nothing compared to the challenges of surviving in a male-dominated field.

Sadly, throughout my engineering studies and professional career, I witnessed cases of harassment, bullying, intimidation and denigration towards young women and men by people in positions of authority. I witnessed physical and psychological abuse by bullies and narcissists. I witnessed mocking and racist comments from superiors towards foreigners. I witnessed cases of questionable ethics and morals.

While I moved forward with my career, I experienced intimidation and threats by my peers who feared being in intellectual competition with me. I refused to yield; I defended myself and my own space as if it was a ritual passage in the jungle that I had to conquer.

The issue of harassment is, unfortunately, endemic in some institutions, particularly in relationships where a power imbalance exists. In these situations, those who have the power may, knowingly or unknowingly, abuse it. This may occur through bullying, inappropriate comments or threats. It may be explicit or subtle. In the workplace, this creates a hostile and unproductive working environment. Moreover, these situations end up costing great sums of money to society, as they induce psychological stress, create conflicts and lead to the loss of competent and skilled workers in the workplace.

Honourable senators, it does not need to be like this. It is wrong to perpetuate this model.

Senators, we are due for a paradigm shift. We need to change existing mindsets and transform the organizational structure in our workplaces. We know that the work environment must undergo modernization.

(2030)

We must move from profit seeking and success at all costs to purpose and mission, from a hierarchal organizational structure to networking, from control-based progress to progress by empowering workers, from exhaustive planning to experimentation, from secrecy and private decision making to open and transparent debates.

Research has demonstrated that the workplace is a more efficient and enjoyable space when individuals are empowered and treated equally and when they can find their mission, vocation, sense of purpose and social value.

Changing workplace culture starts with the leadership. Effective leaders know how to get the most of their staff, how to encourage them to work efficiently and how to support them in their professional growth. Effective leaders know how to manage their employees and how to recognize and address issues of harassment. Moreover, effective leaders know how to manage their employees without bullying, histrionics, browbeating or intimidation. Recognizing certain behaviours in ourselves and our colleagues is the first step to addressing the root of harassment.

Preventing harassment in the workplace is the first step to eliminating it from our entire society. And while workplace culture is changing, behaviours which have persisted for decades as “acceptable” continue to happen. They must stop.

Therefore, I support Inquiry No. 26 and hope you will do so as well. Thank you very much.