This International Women’s Month, I want to set aside the feel-good talk and speak truth to power about something that’s been weighing on me, the way women in leadership are being treated in this city.
Our Chief of Police is a trailblazing queer woman who has worked hard to build trust with Cornwall’s immigrant and gender-diverse communities, reaching people in places many leaders never thought to try. That kind of leadership deserves recognition. Instead, a couple of years ago, we watched a city councillor use his local newspaper column to publicly undermine her leadership, by citing a biased survey that was aimed at undermining her. The city councillor wrote:
“A third-party survey of association members commissioned by the police association lit the fuse. If not alarming, the results are concerning and raise a huge red flag. The survey contained a strong vote of non-confidence in the chief, something never before seen in the service. It shouldn’t be ignored by those in a position to act.
The results zeroed in on the chief’s alleged lack of leadership. Only 31 per cent of the 120 members who participated expressed confidence in her ability to run the 135-person force.
At the other end of the survey, Foy had a whopping 86% favourable rating. That is about as good as it can get. Translated: Most of the force would prefer him as chief.”
Surveys like this have been used in other Ontario communities to undermine female led police services. This attempted coup was opposed by the public at the time with prominent women in the community, none of whom were on council, rallying around the chief.
Some of the challenges facing our police service are systemic if you look at statistics. Some of the issues are somewhat related to the pandemic, with deep societal pressures that long predate her tenure. It’s worth asking whether the scrutiny she faces reflects the actual situation, or something else.
I’ve noticed a troubling silence from many of our elected officials. Our mayor who is also a police board member has said nothing publicly in support of her, even though as a councillor years ago he was willing to use social media to criticize the former city administration led by a woman (a very capable one, at that), conduct for which he faced a finding by the integrity commissioner. When I reached out to the Mayor to express my concern about the Chief’s treatment a few years’ back, he responded by defending the councillor responsible.
On the police board, there are questions worth raising: questions have been raised about attendance, training compliance, and the time some members spend in Cornwall. And when a city councillor wrote about the rushing of hiring for the new police chief, he said that council has “no role” in making the selection. That’s rich, given both the Mayor and another city council member sit on the board. I guess the public has no right to consider their own safety in the community, because watching this all go down is pretty soul-crushing, from a woman’s point of view.
I’ll also note that roughly a year after that newspaper column targeting our Chief, the Cornwall Police Service put up anti-bullying campaign ads across the city. The timing struck me as worth mentioning, as leaders who want to create a trusting, respectful community should be modeling that behaviour.
When women in elected office have a clear moment to speak up for another woman being publicly criticized, too many choose silence, though it is worth noting that many women in this community did write letters of support for the Chief (including former Mayor and Senator, Bernadette Clement) back in 2023. The silence from those in power is what stands out. These are often the same women who are quick to invoke their own gender when it serves them, speaking passionately about the barriers they have faced and what it means to hold power as a woman. But when another woman needs them to use that platform, the solidarity they claim seems to vanish. Advocacy that only flows in one direction is not advocacy, it is self-promotion.
An election is coming. I encourage everyone to pay attention, not just to what candidates say, but to how they treat others. Watch especially for those who champion their own struggles while staying silent about someone else’s. That tells you a great deal about the kind of leadership they will offer. I will be at the debates, bringing up these issues to the candidates.
Kelly Bergeron
Cornwall, Ontario
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