The $231,000-a year Clerk of the House of Commons accused of sleeping at work and feeding inside information to the Liberal caucus is resigning..The Speaker this week thanked Charles Robert for “faithful and devoted service," according to Blacklock's Reporter..“I have made it a point of honour to ensure the administration provided the best service possible to all Members of Parliament,” Robert told the Board of Internal Economy..“I will retire from the service of the House early in the new year, in January, on Friday the 13th.”.“Though it has not been without its challenges, serving as your clerk has been an extraordinary privilege,” said Robert..Investigations into Robert were conducted in secret at cabinet’s request. It followed allegations detailed in a November 10, 2021 report by the CBC..Robert was said to be the subject of five complaints by senior managers since cabinet appointed him Commons clerk in 2017. Complainants said Robert slept on the job, tipped off Liberals in advance of procedural rulings and celebrated a Conservative loss in the 2019 general election as good for his career..Robert denied wrongdoing. Several House of Commons managers had resigned under his watch, the CBC said..“I want to really lament the attacks and the smears that are taking place,” Government House Leader Mark Holland earlier told reporters. “This is a man of extraordinary integrity.”.“These allegations are baseless,” said Holland. “I can say in all my dealings with the Clerk he has been a man of integrity who has been beyond reproach in his non-partisanship.”.“This is not fair ball,” said Holland, who would not comment on specific allegations. “This is a public servant and I’m very disturbed by what is going on.”.House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota in 2021 ordered the investigation behind closed doors. “Debating it in an open chamber like this is not the right place,” said Rota. “That is my view of it.”.“Stick to the facts, please,” said Rota. “That’s all I ask. Something we can prove. The facts. We want to see the facts.”.Rota likened the House of Commons to a private corporation that handled staff complaints internally. “It involves personnel,” said Rota. “Most big corporations or private corporations, small companies, do not discuss personnel issues out in public. I honestly feel very strongly about this.”.Conservative MPs attempted to have the allegations openly investigated by the House affairs committee. “The allegations are extremely disturbing,” {MP John Brassard (Barrie-Innisfil, Ont.) earlier told the House of Commons..The case was a “whole mess,” said Brassard. “That’s why Conservatives asked Liberals to release all correspondence and records they have with the Clerk so we can see whether the allegations are true or just how big that pipeline is. The Liberals have not been forthcoming to this point.”
