Article content

The federal health and safety officer who made the highly controversial order 15 years ago to arm Canada’s national park wardens for their protection faced an “unlawful reprisal” for making that decision, according to a recent labour board ruling.

The Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (PSLREB) concluded that Robert Grundie, a health and safety officer, was wrongly reprimanded for doing his job and enforcing provisions of the Canada Labour Code.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Public servant suffered years of reprisals over order to arm park wardens Back to video

Adjudicator Deborah Howes said Parks Canada was seeking “retribution” against Grundie for his 2001 report, which directed Parks Canada to give wardens handguns for law enforcement despite management’s firm objection to arming them.

“The evidence demonstrated beyond a doubt the antagonism that Parks showed towards Mr. Grundie,” wrote Howes.

Howes denounced how Parks Canada and Grundie’s employer, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) teamed up to investigate and discipline Grundie. She said no private sector company, unhappy with a health and safety officer’s decision, could partner with that officer’s employer to investigate his conduct.