Senators Gone

Nicole Halseth
News Editor

he Senate has spent over half a

milion dollars, around $529, OOO
and counting, in audits of senators
who have been accused of improper
spending habits.

Three former Conservatives, all
appointed by Prime Minister Harper,
face possible suspension from the
Senate without pay over the issue

of expense claims. Senators Mike
Duffy, Patrick Brazeau, and Pamela
Wallin are currently being investigated
through this process. Early next week,
the Senate is expected to vote on

the Conservative bill that will suspend
these individuals until the end of the
legislative session, which is expected to
be around 2015. They would, however,
be permitted to retain their medical
benefits and life insurance.

The initial accusations were made

when it was found out these Senators
had been claiming numerous business
and personal expenses to the Senate,

Wild

throughout the durations of their time
with the Senate.

On the audit of Ms. Wallin's expense
claims alone, the Senate spent $39,
OOO. This is more than twice the
amount of money Saskatchewan
Senator Wallin was eventually required
to repay.

Additionally, the Senate paid another
$138, 784 in auditing housing claims
made by Senators Duffy and Brazeau,
as well as former Liberal Mac Harb,
who quit as a member of the Senate
in August.

At the conclusion of these audits, all
four senators were ordered to repay a
total of $520, OOO, $9, OOO less than
the amount spent by the Senate on
their audits.

Though the total is significant, the
former chair of the audit committee,
Conservative Senator Gerald
Comeau, claims “once the audit was
ordered, we had to allow it to be
fully concluded in order to get a fair

and consistent reading of the issues
involved.”

These investigations have come about
due to a number of recent accusations
about improper spending practices
within the Senate. This so-called
‘Senate Scandal has swept across
national headlines in the past few
months, and is raising questions about
our senators and their practices.

Practices within the Senate, and
indeed, the existence of the Senate
itself, have been questioned for many
years now. There are those who claim
the Senate is a body of unequal

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representation, and does not reflect
the current social and political climate
within the country. There are also those
who say the entire system on which
the Senate operates is outdated and
ineffective. However, though criticisms
of the Senate abound, for the near
future, it seems the Senate will continue
to operate much in the way it has for
decades. It will be interesting to see
whether these new allegations wil
result in any lasting change to how the
Senate is run. If so, it is likely that the
next few months will prove significant.

WorkSafeBC: Bullying on the Job

Nicole Halseth
News Editor

ew policies aimed at decreasing

bullying and harassment in BC
workplaces are set to take effect very
soon, according to an article on the
Vancouver Sun website.

WorkSateBC, the provincial
organization aimed at protecting the
safety of over two million workers
throughout the province, will oversee
the implementation of these new
policies, which originally passed in
March of 2013. A central challenge
to this process is engaging employers
in implementing these changes into
their workplaces. WorkSafeBC claims
it wil not take a “heavy handed
approach’ in this process, according
to vice-president of prevention
services, Al Johnson. Instead, the
focus will be on consulting with these
employers and encouraging them to
follow the changes to the Workers:
Compensation Act, and providing them
with the relevant resources to do so.

These new policies clarify a number
of issues in regards to the health and
safety of BC workers. This includes
defining what constitutes workplace
bullying and harassment, as well as
outlining the duties and responsibilities

of BC employers, supervisors, and
workers. Under the new policies,
workplace bullying and harassment are
defined as including any inappropriate
conduct or comments made by

one person towards a worker. The
responsibilities of employers will include
not engaging in these behaviours,
taking steps to mitigate the problem,
and creating annual workplace policy
statements regarding receiving and
dealing with claims from workers.
Employers will also be responsible for
informing and training their workers and
supervisors about their new duties and
responsibilities.

According to the
article on the
Vancouver
Sun website,
WorkSateBC
expects many
questions from
employers
and

workers alike in the next few months,
as these new policies begin to take
effect. However, should employers
refuse to comply with the new rules,

WorkSafeBC claims it may be forced

to write enforcement orders.

These new policies have come about
due to increased recognition over the
years around the issues of bullying
and harassment in the workplace.
The process to update the policies
goes back to July 2012, when they
were updated to include mental
disorders caused by harassment and
bullying in the workplace. Since then,
the agency has worked at creating
a comprehensive policy that will be
applicable to all workplaces, which
was passed in March.

In addition to providing short-term

~@ = help to those suffering immediate

\

~ harassment, the policies are also

effects of workplace bullying and

aimed at public education and
awareness. It is hoped that this
new initiative will helo decrease

the supposed 30 to 40 percent of
Canadian workers who have reported
being bullied in the workplace.

Additionally, under this new policy,
workers will be able to make
complaints of bullying and harassment
directly to WorkSafeBC. It is hoped
that this will give workers an avenue
to use if their employers do not handle
their claims competently.

These policies will hopefully improve
conditions for workers and employers
throughout the province. As many
students at UNBC hold jobs (or hope
to) within BC, these new policies will be
of particular interest within the coming
months.

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