Labour tribunal rules former Montreal police chief was victim of psychological harassment by city

Montreal Chief of Police Philippe Pichet speaks to the media about the tapping of a newspaper reporter's smartphone at a news conference, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Former Montreal police chief Phillippe Pichet has won his case at Quebec’s labour tribunal, which ruled he was the victim of psychological harassment by the City of Montreal.

The Tribunal administratif du travail said in a ruling issued Wednesday that the city “engaged in conduct that gradually led to Mr. Pichet’s marginalization, isolation, and professional exclusion,” when Pichet was reinstated in a new role in the police force following his 2017 suspension.

“This repeated hostile or unwanted behaviour undermined his dignity and psychological integrity, creating an objectively harmful work environment.”

The tribunal also ruled that the City of Montreal failed to comply with its obligations under section 81.19 of the Labour Standards Act, which requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent psychological harassment from any person and, when the behaviour is brought to their attention, to put an end to it.

The ruling did not announce any remedial measures against the city.

Pichet was appointed as Montreal’s top cop in August 2015 for a five-year term, but in 2017, the Ministry of Public Security suspended him amid the minister’s concerns about governance and integrity within the police force. Pichet appealed the decision the following year to request his reinstatement.

A settlement was reached in June 2018, which saw him abandon his legal action against the city in exchange for a role as a chief inspector in the police force.

In a separate legal challenge, three judges of the Court of Quebec ruled in 2024 that Pichet was the subject of a “disguised dismissal” by the city.

At the heart of Pichet’s case at the labour tribunal was how he was treated after taking on the new role, in which he says he was subjected to a form of exclusion “that undermined his credibility” and created an “objectively harmful work environment.”

The city objected to his claims, saying his difficulties stemmed from his “personal discomfort” related to his lower-ranking position in the force and that he showed little interest in the tasks he was assigned.

The tribunal disagreed, writing in its decision that the city “marginalized, isolated, and excluded him, to the point of making Mr. Pichet a ‘persona non grata.’”

“The vexatious conduct toward Mr. Pichet undermined his dignity or psychological or physical integrity and created a harmful work environment for him,” the decision reads.

“A reasonable employer would have taken the necessary steps to facilitate reintegration and defuse the anticipated discomfort,” the tribunal added.

“In these circumstances, the Tribunal finds that the VDM is directly responsible for the climate of psychological harassment to which Mr. Pichet was subjected.”