Opposition questions P.E.I. government about harassment complaints

The P.E.I. government is promising to make data around harassment allegations within its workforce more public.

The Official Opposition first raised the topic Tuesday in the legislature when Liberal interim leader Hal Perry tabled information he had obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

It showed two complaints were filed in 2021 by people who worked in the province's executive council office, the cabinet division of government.

But no other details were shared. Premier Dennis King, who is in charge of cabinet, said he knew nothing about the complaints.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Jill Burridge brought back the breakdown of complaints across the public service in the last five years.

Those numbers included seven complaints in the 2020-21 fiscal year, and 14 in 2022-23.

King said Wednesday that the government acted on recommendations from the investigations and nobody signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Perry said complaints show the government is a "toxic workplace." He said there's nothing on the record showing the outcome of the complaints, or providing context around how many might reasonably be expected in the course of a year, in an organization the size of the P.E.I. government.

King said the opposition was on a "fishing expedition" and assured the legislature the government would be transparent with information.