Targeted by an investigation into a
"toxic"
work climate
in her office, the Governor General of Canada Julie Payette, official representative of Queen Elizabeth II, announced her resignation on Thursday.
"Tensions have arisen at Rideau Hall (his official residence in Ottawa, editor's note) in recent months and I am sorry,"
said Julie Payette in a statement.
"Although no formal complaint or official grievance has been made during this mandate (...), I still take these allegations very seriously,"
she said.
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"I have submitted my resignation,"
she announced after several local media reported on Thursday that the findings of the independent government-ordered inquiry were devastating.
This investigative report has not been publicly disclosed.
The government had ordered this investigation in July, into allegations of harassment against Mrs. Payette, after the publication by the CBC channel of anonymous testimonies denouncing a
"toxic climate"
within her office and accusing the Governor General of
"harassment"
and
"verbal violence".
When these first denunciations appeared, Julie Payette assured her that she took
“the issues of harassment in the workplace very seriously”.
Former astronaut, Julie Payette, 57, was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in July 2017 to represent Elizabeth II - Canada's head of state - a primarily ceremonial function.
Invested in October 2017, she became the fourth woman to represent Elizabeth II.
The first Canadian to board the International Space Station in 1999, Julie Payette participated in two orbital flights aboard the Discovery and Endeavor space shuttles, the last in 2009. The Governor General is usually appointed for five years but the duration of his warrant is at the discretion of the Queen of England.