Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Julie Payette the walking papers Thursday and she promptly resigned in advance of a report which looked into allegations she mistreated past and current employees at Rideau Hall, saying for the good of the country, it was time for her to go. In a terse statement, Trudeau acknowledged he had received her resignation. “Every employee in the Government of Canada has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and we will always take this very seriously,” he said.

OTTAWA – When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed former astronaut Julie Payette as Governor General, he didn’t think she would turn out to be so toxic that she would do all the things you frown upon in both public and private workplace in the time of BLM and other movements about equality, dignity and respectful treatment.

Trudeau gave Payette the walking papers Thursday and she promptly resigned in advance of a report which looked into allegations she mistreated past and current employees at Rideau Hall, saying for the good of the country, it was time for her to go.

The Privy Council Office launched an independent review of the claims last summer after allegations emerged that Payette yelled at, belittled and publicly humiliated employees, reducing some to tears or prompting them to quit, reported Canadian Press.

In a terse statement, Trudeau acknowledged he had received her resignation.

“Every employee in the Government of Canada has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, and we will always take this very seriously,” he said.

“Today’s announcement provides an opportunity for new leadership at Rideau Hall to address the workplace concerns raised by employees during the review.”

Trudeau had previously defended Payette, even as the Privy Council Office hired a third-party investigator to examine allegations of workplace harassment in the office of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General.

Payette apologized for the tensions at Rideau Hall in the last several months, but in a statement announcing her historic resignation – a first for a Governor General – she also suggested she disagreed with the characterizations of her leadership.

“We all experience things differently, but we should always strive to do better, and be attentive to one another’s perceptions,” she said.

“I am a strong believer in the principles of natural justice, due process and the rule of law, and that these principles apply to all equally. Notwithstanding, in respect for the integrity of my viceregal office and for the good of our country and of our democratic institutions, I have come to the conclusion that a new Governor General should be appointed,” she continued. “Canadians deserve stability in these uncertain times.”

She also suggested the move was made for personal reasons, citing her father’s declining health.

“So it is with sureness and humility, but also with pride over what was accomplished during my tenure as Governor General and in my service to the country for the past 28 years, that I have submitted my resignation,” she wrote.

Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation, which is the union for RCMP members, released a statement Thursday in response to the review, saying that members of Payette’s RCMP detail were allegedly harassed.

“In September 2020, we learned of stories of harassment and other troubling behaviour experienced by RCMP Members assigned to Governor General Julie Payette’s Protection Detail,” the statement reads.

“The NPF is committed to ensuring that RCMP members work in an environment free of harassment, bullying and intimidation and that accessible, stigma-free supports exist when this occurs.”

Payette has also been accused of incurring a variety of extraordinary costs since she was named to the post back in 2017.

While the Governor General is a largely symbolic position, it does have some constitutional importance, particularly during a minority government such as the one Canada has now.

Payette’s appointment was controversial from the outset. Shortly after she took the job, it emerged that she’d been charged with second-degree assault while living in Maryland in 2011.

She called the charge unfounded, and it has since been expunged.

But as details of that incident emerged, so did revelations that she was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident that same year. The case was closed without charges after a police investigation.

Both incidents raised immediate questions about how thoroughly she had been vetted for the job, and accusations she wasn’t the right fit for it have dogged her ever since, reported Canadian Press.