A Quebec court has ruled in favour of former Via Rail chair Jean Pelletier in his wrongful dismissal suit and ordered Ottawa and the Crown corporation to pay more than $335,000 for lost salary and damage to his reputation.
Jean Pelletier sued Via Rail and the federal government for wrongful dismissal in the wake of the federal sponsorship scandal.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
In her 45-page ruling Thursday, Quebec Superior Court Justice Hélène Langlois said the federal government acted in a cavalier fashion by firing Pelletier in 2004 in a manner that harmed his reputation and impressive background.
Langlois determined Pelletier was owed $ 235,161 in lost income, including interest, as well as $100,000 for damage to his reputation.
Pelletier was fired by then-Prime Minister Paul Martin after insulting former Olympic gold medallist Myriam Bédard.
Bédard, one of Pelletier's ex-employees, claimed at the time that she was forced out of her marketing job at Via after she allegedly raised questions about excessive billing by one of the companies at the heart of the federal sponsorship scandal.
Pelletier said she came forward with allegations because she was a "pitiful" single mother who was trying to draw attention to herself.
Pelletier, who previously served as chief of staff to former prime minister Jean Chrétien for 10 years, later apologized for the comments.
Pelletier was ordered reinstated in November 2005, when a Federal Court overturned his firing, ruling that Pelletier deserved to know why he was fired and should have been given a chance to respond.
After the ruling, Martin and the federal government fired Pelletier again, saying the government followed proper procedure in his original dismissal.
Pelletier is also seeking to overturn the findings of Justice John Gomery's inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal.
Gomery's findings, released in reports in late 2005 and early 2006, did not find any evidence of specific wrongdoing on Pelletier's part, but blamed him for not exercising better political control of the sponsorship program.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
Internal Links
More Canada Headlines »
- Canadians flock to Boxing Day bargains
- Millions of Canadinas took part in the Boxing Day bonanza on Wednesday, although shopping malls may have been less crammed with bargain hunters this year.
- Dozens of carcasses discovered at Quebec quarry
- Police and wildlife officers are investigating the discovery of dozens of pig, fox and coyote carcasses at a Quebec gravel quarry.
- Homolka's prison boyfriend could be freed in '08
- A convicted killer, said to have had a relationship with Karla Homolka while the two were behind bars, could be released from a Quebec prison early in 2008.
- Ottawa police defend using Taser on teen
- Ottawa police are defending the use of a Taser last week to subdue a teenager who was acting strangely in traffic.
- B.C. avalanche deaths serve as warning: police
- RCMP are cautioning outdoor enthusiasts in British Columbia to check avalanche warnings before heading into the backcountry after two snowmobilers died on Christmas Eve.
Canada Features
Blog Watch
Most Blogged about CBC.ca Articles