Jian Ghomeshi revelations from former CBC producer Kathryn Borel spur Canadian Media Guild apology
This morning (December 2), Kathryn Borel identified herself as the former CBC radio producer who Jian Ghomeshi allegedly said he wanted to "hate fuck".
Writing in the Guardian, Borel described a "pattern of sexual harassment". She also said her union "did nothing" after she complained.
Now, that union has responded with a statement headlined "Sexual harassment now a priority for the union". The statement, attributed to Carmel Smyth, national president of the Canadian Media Guild, reads:
As a woman, I am troubled by the sexual harassment and abuse women face in society in general and especially at work. As a union leader, I am sorry we have not been able to combat these problems more effectively, despite years of trying.
One of the women to speak out about such abuse is a former union member. The experience she describes is unacceptable. No one should be harassed at work. We admire her courage in speaking out and are sorry for the pain she has experienced. Since I and union staff became aware of this issue, we have reached out to her and have offered and continue to offer her any assistance that we can provide.As a union, our reason for being is to help people at work. We have a policy of zero tolerance for harassment; we have also negotiated a complaint process into our collective agreement with CBC. It appears these did not work. If this is the case we have to do better, and we are already reviewing and trying to improve our processes.
CMG represents more than five thousand media workers at many media organizations, and we take our responsibility to make workplaces safe and secure seriously. This issue is now a priority for us, and we are beginning talks with all of our employers about how we can make real and lasting improvements as we shift our culture towards one in which abuse and harassment do not take place. We know we have to have effective ways to help anyone who needs it.
My deep hope is that in acknowledging how prevalent harassment can be, we will be closer to finding real solutions in the months ahead.
One of the main reasons I got involved in union work was to help make workplaces more welcoming and safer for everyone, especially women and others who are often excluded. This situation has reminded me just how difficult sexual harassment is to root out, and that it isn't enough to have a zero-tolerance policy and good intentions; we have to keep fighting and keep listening when people reveal concerns to us, to make the policy a reality for everyone.
On November 26, Ghomeshi was charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking.
Comments
6 Comments
Natty
Dec 2, 2014 at 1:52pm
Any more back pedaling on this and surely these guys will be able to travel back in time and right all of their wrongs.
cosmicsync
Dec 2, 2014 at 3:58pm
I agree with Natty. This statement is a long way from an apology.
Ms. Smyth begins by saying she is "sorry we have not been able to combat these problems more effectively, despite years of trying." She goes on to describe Borel's experience as "unacceptable," and claims to have reached out to her since Smyth and "union staff became aware of this issue."
However Borel's piece in the Guardian describes clearly a meeting she had with union rep Timothy Neesam in early 2010 which lasted 30 minutes, during which time he did not take notes and after which he claimed to have no recollection of her telling him about physical touching.
Ms Smyth is quoted in the Globe and Mail on November 6 as stating "She did not tell (Neesam) any details only that ‘inappropriate comments were made.’" She is also careful to describe Neesam as a "volunteer," allowing her to make the disingenuous statment that "no formal complaint (was) filed with any union staff."
Borel writes in the Guardian " ... the union was carefully parsing its words to leave casual readers with the impression that I was lying and they had done the right thing."
It seems to me they are still in "damage control" mode, like the management at the CBC, and are doing everything they can to avoid admitting any culpability in this affair.
It's been said before, but you can not fix a problem if you can't even admit you have one.
jC
Dec 2, 2014 at 8:40pm
most libs are like ghomeshi have something sick to hide. And want government to hid it for them
Xylo
Dec 3, 2014 at 10:20am
"If this is the case we have to do better, and we are already reviewing and trying to improve our processes." If this is the case, you must right the wrong and fire the union rep who failed Ms. Borel.
Nice One
Dec 3, 2014 at 12:26pm
@jC
"most libs are like ghomeshi have something sick to hide. And want government to hid it for them"
Most Cons have difficulty with the English language, and keyboards.
tig
Dec 3, 2014 at 1:40pm
Does anyone think maybe the conversations were not as clear as she thought they were? And did she take notes?
I don't mean that in a hostile way, verbal discussions are notoriously thorny as to memory. Sure, he should have taken notes. But so should she have. Maybe he didn't take notes for privacy reasons. Maybe as a bureaucrat taking notes meant further action had to be taken, and that's not necessarily just to protect himself.
From what I heard on As It Happens, her complaints about Ghomeshi were wrapped in other discussions. We never talk as clearly as we'd like to and when the subject is so charged it shouldn't be surprising that the recollections differ.
Clearly they fell down on due process, since nobody seemed to have one, surprising in a unionized environment. Maybe not so surprising in an institution as besieged as the CBC is.