The anonymous group of 11 former employees of Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy is calling on the Conservative Party to investigate the candidate who is running for re-election amid allegations of workplace bullying.
The employees are alleging that Gallagher Murphy has created a toxic workplace during her tenure as MPP, in addition to disclosing new details further alleging racist comments made by the MPP. But despite these allegations emerging, an Ontario Labour Relations Board case that was settled, and official complaints to the Ministry of Labour, the party has yet to take any publicly disclosed action.
In a news release, the former employees, who have requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, said there must be an independent investigation.
“The victims demand an immediate and independent third-party investigation into the conduct of MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy. This hypocrisy must end,” they said. “Silence is complicity. They cannot continue to protect abusive behaviour at the expense of its employees.”
The Ontario Liberal Party is adding its voice to the call for action, sending out a news release today saying Conservative leader Doug Ford "has ignored serious workplace misconduct allegations against his candidate, Dawn Gallagher Murphy."
"These allegations are heartbreaking and entirely unacceptable. Harassment and bullying have absolutely no place in politics — or the workplace. Doug Ford and the PC Party have swept these allegations under the rug, and allowed Ms. Gallagher Murphy to run under their banner,” Newmarket-Aurora candidate Chris Ballard said in the news release. “It is unconscionable.”
"I am calling on Doug Ford to denounce Ms. Gallgaher Murphy's behaviour, and come clean about the toxic work environment she leads."
Asked about the allegations by The Trillium for NewmarketToday Jan. 28, Ford said it was the first he heard of them, but that he supports Gallagher Murphy.
Allegations against Gallagher Murphy first surfaced in December, when former constituency manager Teena Bogner filed a complaint at the Ontario Labour Relations Board, alleging Gallagher Murphy unfairly fired her after she raised concerns to PC Caucus Services about alleged harassment. That case was settled before the election campaign began, but a group of employees then came forward and hired a PR firm to share their own negative experiences working with Gallagher Murphy.
Those allegations include verbal abuse, calling and demanding work at unreasonable hours, lashing out, name-calling, not tolerating mistakes and reprimanding clothing choices in front of other employees.
In the news release, the group also discusses allegations of racism. In one case, following a Black History Month event, the group alleged she referred to it as “woke bullshit.”
"Ultimately, it was hard to go home and reconcile racist comments with my own personal beliefs. It was deeply upsetting,” a former employee said.
Asked to respond to the release, an Ontario PC Party spokesperson told NewmarketToday and AuroraToday there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
“This press release has no names, dates, evidence, etc., and unless you can prove any of these allegations we have nothing to comment on,” a reply from the Ontario PC media email said.
Gallagher Murphy’s campaign team did not respond to a request for comment before publication deadline. She has previously declined to comment on the allegations from Bogner and the group of anonymous former employees.
One former employee, Anne, described hostility toward other local politicians and being told to remove any mention of them in Gallagher Murphy's speeches.
“We were explicitly, and aggressively, told to remove any mentions of MPs or local mayors from speeches. The language she used to describe them was vulgar and shocking. It was language I didn’t use,” she said in a news release.
"Several employees have required extensive mental health support and personal leave of absences to deal with the trauma," Anne said in an email.
“We need to support any worker who is traumatized by bullying or harassment with the mental health care they need to recover,” Ballard said.
The group said that three of them have filed complaints with the Ministry of Labour for their respective cases. The ministry did not reply to a request for comment before publication deadline.