Complaining of being bullied, harassed and gagged, the staff at a federal human-rights agency told a parliamentary committee they have been warned that their entire operation could be shut down if they don't stop criticizing the government.
The president of the employees' union at Rights & Democracy told a committee of the House that he was put on notice earlier this month by board member Jacques Gauthier, who was the acting president at the time.
"Mr. Gauthier told me, in front of witnesses, that the mobilization surrounding Rights & Democracy, and what he perceived to be attacks against the government in the media, had to stop, because it could have serious consequences on the centre and its employees," Maxime Longangué said.
He added he was also told the centre had only one supporter in the Conservative cabinet, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, and that the government "was only waiting for other incidents to pull the plug" on the institution.
In addition to Mr. Longangué's testimony, the committee heard from three former senior Rights & Democracy employees who say they were recently fired for contesting the government's efforts to realign the group with its foreign-policy priorities.
The three - Charles Vallerand, Marie-France Cloutier and Razmik Panossian - said they are planning a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal.
Ms. Cloutier, who had been with the centre since its inception nearly 20 years ago, said she was on sick leave when she learned of her dismissal from a bailiff.
The committee heard that recent Conservative appointees to the board were highly critical of the group's handling of matters related to the Middle East. Ms. Cloutier said the board has launched a number of internal investigations, creating a "cloud of suspicion" over Rights & Democracy.
"We are in a very tense, threatening, unhealthy environment," added 15-year staff member Micheline Lévesque. "We're the subjects of an investigation that we consider abusive. We have received a formal prohibition to speak publicly about the situation we're living in."
The chairman of the board, Aurel Braun, is scheduled to appear before the committee tomorrow, along with Mr. Gauthier, who is vice-chair, and board members David Matas and Brad Farquhar.
The Conservative members of the committee were critical of the investigation into Rights & Democracy, and worked to undermine the testimony of the current and former employees by asking whether they were responsible for media leaks. Conservative MPs accused the opposition of trying to "micromanage" the arm's-length group.
With a report from The Canadian Press