Chris Cousins trial: QEC calls 1st witness in civil suit
Cousins is suing public utility for over $500K, says he was dismissed due to defense of Inuit employment
A Saturday porchside meeting with a territorial minister was the focus of much of the second day of testimony at a civil trial brought by a former Qulliq Energy Corporation employee.
Chris Cousins, a beneficiary of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, is suing QEC for more than $500,000. Cousins said he had to leave the corporation in March of 2011 after four disciplinary actions against him. He claims those stemmed from his defense of Inuit employment.
Another former QEC employee, Joe Sageatook, took the witness stand on Tuesday afternoon. Sageatook testified he and three other corporation employees — also beneficiaries — brought allegations of discrimination within the corporation to the doorstep of Lorne Kusugak, the minister responsible at the time.
Sageatook said he was invited to Kusugak's porch along with the union local president and Cousins, who was in a management position.
Sageatook said he forwarded emails to Kusugak as proof of discrimination. That prompted QEC's lawyer, Richard Beamish, to point out a letter from Kusugak to Sageatook, responding to the group's visit.
Kusugak wrote he did not intend to pursue the matter as the minister or as a beneficiary because he did not see any issue of discrimination. He also wrote there were better, or more appropriate, mechanisms to deal with their complaints, like the Human Rights Commission.
Cousins had chances to improve, says QEC
Cousins was on the stand Tuesday morning for cross examination by QEC's lawyer.
Beamish said advocating for beneficiaries was never part of Cousins' job. He said that in Cousins' role as a maintenance supervisor, he was a leader and was tasked with maintaining a respectful and harmonious workplace.
But Beamish argued that's not what Cousins did in the nine months leading up to his departure from QEC. The lawyer said Cousins persistently fought to highlight what he called QEC's ongoing failure to follow Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. That is also what Cousins wrote in a letter ending his employment.
Cousins also refused to deal with a subordinate employee's behaviour, whom human resources called disrespectful and belligerent.
In fact, Beamish said QEC supported Cousins' career. He said the corporation offered to create a career development plan for him to progress to higher management positions. Cousins never followed through.
Beamish said QEC has an Inuit employment committee with the purpose of hiring more beneficiaries. But Cousins never joined the committee.
QEC calls first witness
David Clark, QEC's director of operations, was the first witness called by the utility. Clark was questioned about a meeting on January 13, five days after the Kusugak visit and just nine days after Clark started work there.
Clark said he hoped the meeting with Cousins and human resources representatives would resolve issues about the former employee's attitude in the workplace, but said that Cousins was defiant and uncooperative. Cousins also refused to complete work for his immediate supervisor, said Clark.
Clark said Cousins was never directly asked about visiting the minister. But the next day, Clark signed Cousins' suspension letter. He said the suspension and demotion to a union position were to help Cousins refocus on his work.
It is expected the court will hear from former QEC president and CEO Peter Mackey Wednesday morning.