The summary investigation report obtained by CBC News said the five employees who filed the complaint against Ms Archibald were victims of retaliation and breaches of confidentiality.
He describes the working environment at AFN as highly politicized and divided.
Ms Archibald received individual reports on each complainant’s allegations in April. However, according to her office, she did not receive the summary investigation report.
Recent developments show once again that the survey of human resources is carried out in a colonial and confrontational manner. It’s been like this since the beginning, Archibald told CBC News.
Once the full report has been forwarded to the APN, they will [les membres constituants] I will understand that as a national leader I have essentially been exonerated.
The AFN Executive Committee did not respond to CBC News’ request for comment.
The AFN Judiciary Committee hired an outside firm to investigate complaints by four employees against RoseAnne Archibald. A fifth complainant then came forward. Labor attorney Raquel Chisholm, a partner at Ottawa law firm Emond Harnden, oversaw the investigation, which was launched on June 14, 2022.
CBC News was able to confirm that the first four complainants were senior executives working in Ms Archibald’s office. The fifth plaintiff is former President and CEO Janice Ciavaglia, who left the organization in early 2023. Four of the five plaintiffs are women.
There is no doubt that [Mme Archibald] We can read in the investigation report that the confidentiality clauses were not complied with. By making statements questioning the motives, intentions and integrity of the employees who made the complaint, [Mme Archibald] returned the favor.
A crucial meeting
The summary report of the investigation was distributed to First Nations chiefs across the country Thursday ahead of the virtual AFN meeting scheduled for June 28. This is where Ms Archibald’s future as national leader of the organization will be decided.
In June 2022, regional chiefs had suspended Ms Archibald after initial complaints were made against her.
Her suspension was lifted and Ms Archibald survived another attempt at expulsion at the July 2022 AGM in Vancouver. The majority of the Chairmen of the Assembly chose to wait for the investigation to be completed before making a decision.
During the same meeting, the chiefs passed a resolution to counter allegations of corruption at the AFN by establishing a committee to review the organization’s financial practices.
Members of the AFN Executive Committee, made up of regional chiefs, unanimously approved a resolution in late April recommending removing Ms Archibald from the position of national chief at the next gathering, after consulting the detailed conclusions of the inquiry .
No evidence of collusion
The summary report, which was circulated to the leaders of the meeting, does not give details of the harassment committed by Ms Archibald towards two staff members.
Although it is not perceived as a recurring behavior, we conclude that it is sufficiently serious, the people responsible for the survey indicate.
However, the report details how Ms Archibald broke AFN’s confidentiality rules by attacking complainants with public statements. Four employees were then targeted by the boss.
On June 16, 2022, RoseAnne Archibald publicly stated that the investigation was sparked by four employees attempting to obtain over $1 million in contract payments and that it was a desperate attempt to stop him from Detect embezzlement within the APN.
The following day, she issued a second statement, alleging that the four employees in question had been involved in a collusion to enrich themselves.
The investigation report confirms that there are no indications of this.
As the leader of the organization, Ms Archibald has an additional responsibility for compliance and compliance, the summary report said.
Ms Archibald based her statements on her responsibility and duty of transparency to the Assembly. She insisted to investigators not to give names or make misleading statements.
There is nothing in the code of conduct or the oath of office to indicate that breaches of data protection rules would suggest that his role warrants such statements, the report said.
damage to reputation
Investigators say the retaliation and breaches of confidentiality against the fifth employee, former President and CEO Janice Ciavaglia, varied.
They report that Ms Archibald made an explicit public statement targeting Ms Ciavaglia. At the same time, she circulated emails and memos falsely claiming that Ms. Ciavaglia was suing her for defamation.
According to the report, these actions damaged the reputation of Ms. Ciavaglia, who shut down her social media accounts after receiving death threats.
Investigators conducted more than 30 interviews, including with the five applicants, Ms Archibald and several witnesses.
After receiving the individual inquiry reports into the five complainants in April, Ms Archibald said she had been targeted.
Her testimony went against instructions from AFN chiefs that Ms Archibald was not allowed to comment publicly on the findings of the investigation before they are relayed to First Nations leaders, the report said.
Ms Archibald was previously investigated for workplace bullying and harassment when she was regional manager for Ontario. The investigations launched in 2021 were unsuccessful as none of the 10 applicants wanted to lodge a formal complaint for fear of reprisals.
With information from Olivia Stefanovich, CBC News