Accused of bullying staff, CEO of Canadian Museum of Immigration steps down

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is seen in Halifax, on Friday, Jan. 28, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX — The CEO of the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax has stepped down after a federal investigation led to allegations Marie Chapman had bullied staff and created an environment of fear that left many employees emotionally damaged.

The museum’s board of trustees issued a statement confirming Chapman had decided to retire earlier this month and then chose to leave her post on Thursday.

“Neither the board nor the outgoing CEO wish for this matter to distract from the performance ... of the museum,” board chairperson Cynthia Price Verreault said in the statement.

The CEO’s departure came a day after the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner released a report citing evidence Chapman had engaged in a pattern of inappropriate behaviour for more than a decade, resulting in serious breaches of the public sector code of conduct and the museum’s code of conduct.

The report from commissioner Harriet Solloway alleges Chapman’s misconduct included using offensive and inappropriate language, intimidating employees, yelling and instilling fear.

“The CEO created an environment of fear that made employees reluctant to raise concerns and left many worried they would be reprimanded, or even lose their jobs, if they decided to speak up.” the report says.

The commissioner’s report, which followed a two-year investigation, was tabled Wednesday in the House of Commons.

“While each incident on its own might not rise to the level of a serious breach of a code of conduct, the repeated nature of Ms. Chapman’s actions impacting multiple employees elevates their severity,” Solloway’s

“Our investigation revealed that Ms. Chapman referred to her senior leadership team, or SLT, (by) using the term ‘sluts.’ Ms. Chapman used this term in public and in the presence of museum employees.”

Solloway concluded that even if Chapman was trying to be funny, such language in the workplace is inconsistent with the standards expected of leaders in the public sector.

In Ottawa, Culture Minister Marc Miller described the allegations as “entirely unacceptable.”

“If any of these allegations are true, I would expect the board to do its job,” he said,

The report also accuses Chapman of:

• Ranking women working at the museum by age.
• Saying there were “no good-looking men” at the museum.
• Referring to some employees by using nicknames related to their physical appearance or behaviour.
• Saying that a female athlete looked too masculine to be featured in a museum product.

Solloway said 20 witnesses were interviewed, including Chapman. The museum, a Crown agency that operates at arm’s length from the federal government, has 56 permanent employees.

Nine employees described feeling fearful of Chapman’s behaviour. One employee said they suffered from panic attacks when they went to work, saying their anxiety was “through the roof.”

The commissioner recommended an assessment of employees’ wellness by an external expert to determine what type of support they may need. The board of trustees responded by accepting that recommendation on Thursday.

In response to the report, Chapman submitted a statement to the commissioner denying almost all of the allegations against her, arguing that a lack of detail in the report creates a false impression about the frequency and scale of certain events. Chapman also said in her response that several of the people interviewed by the commission were not part of the museum’s workforce.

“Any uninformed reader would not be aware of the ... infrequent nature of many of the events described in the (report),” Chapman said in the statement. “Given the comprehensive evidence provided in my May 29 response ... I respectfully urge you to reconsider your findings.”

Chapman, however, confirmed that she did refer to her senior leadership team as “sluts.” But she argued that as a member of that team, the comment was made “in solidarity” and was not intended to disrespect the team.

She also insisted she never created a climate of fear or threatened to fire anyone, and she argued that some decisions and comments were wrongly attributed to her. As well, she asserted that some of her statements were made before the museum became a federal institution.

Chapman denied making disparaging remarks about a colleague’s hairstyle, and she dismissed allegations that she targeted one employee.

“What may appear as targeting reflects the difficult management challenges that were not only felt by me, but all other members of the SLT during this period,” the statement says.

In her concluding remarks, Chapman said that during almost 20 years working at the museum, the board never questioned her conduct, and she said she never received any warnings or negative evaluations.

“While I disagree with the findings outlined in the report, I acknowledge and embrace my responsibility as a leader of the museum,” her statement says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025.

By Michael MacDonald