The former president and CEO of the Group Health Centre—who was fired in February after donating $50 to the “Freedom Convoy” trucker protest in Ottawa—is suing for wrongful dismissal, SooToday has learned.
Lambert was appointed president and CEO in June 2014, overseeing an organization that serves more than 80,000 patients across Algoma District. His annual salary was $286,000. The Group Health Centre denies any wrongdoing, arguing in its statement of defence that the organization treated Lambert “with dignity, respect, and in good faith.” His employment agreement made clear he could be fired at any moment without cause, as long as he was given 12 months notice or salary in lieu of notice. Although a dollar figure is not specified in the statement of defence, Group Health insists Lambert received “his contractual entitlements.
In the end, Group Health’s board of directors decided it had no choice but to sever ties with the organization’s top employee. “[Group Health] felt that it could not continue to employ the Plaintiff in his role as CEO given his poor judgment in making a donation to the ‘Freedom Convoy’ and more seriously choosing to speak to the media twice about his donation and his view on vaccination mandates,” reads the statement of defence.
The truckers took over the capital’s downtown core for more than three weeks, blockading streets and honking their horns incessantly. As the public would soon learn, some of the leaders were well-known conspiracy theorists and racist, far-right agitators who dreamed of overthrowing the Trudeau government long before the emergence of COVID-19.
“They are peacefully protesting and I think they are great, frankly,” Lambert told SooToday, during that initial interview. “I agree with the message. I think it’s time to end the vaccine mandates and I am glad they are getting traction on that message.” Lambert also criticized Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act, which until then had never been invoked. “I think it’s more than unwarranted,” he said. “I think it’s kind of ridiculous.”
“The Group Health Centre does not support the views of the ‘Freedom Convoy,’” the statement read. “We especially object to the subgroup of protestors who protest without respect for the law and are using this protest as a means to spread extremist views.”
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