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The British Columbia premier’s office is being sued for firing an international relations official in December after learning the RCMP is investigating him for allegedly leaking documents containing sensitive and classified intelligence while in a previous job for the federal government.
The details are included in John Robert Pratt’s notice of civil claim for wrongful dismissal filed Thursday in the B.C. Supreme Court.
Pratt was the acting executive director of international relations in the Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat in Premier David Eby’s office when he was fired, according to the notice of claim.
He had been suspended with pay from the position in July after the premier’s office learned he had been arrested and detained by the RCMP as part of an ongoing investigation.
At that time, the court filing said, the employer told Pratt “the nature of the allegations was incompatible with the continued discharge of his duties” and there was no suitable alternative assignment available.
When the government fired Pratt on Dec. 11, the notice said, it told him it had decided not to proceed with an investigation into the allegations but had received information about them from the Privy Council Office. The PCO supports the Canadian prime minister and federal cabinet.
“In 2023, an administrative investigation into allegations against the Plaintiff was conducted by the PCO and determined that the Plaintiff was responsible for the unauthorized disclosure of documents containing sensitive and classified intelligence,” it said.
“As a result of the administrative investigation, the PCO had decided to refer the matter to the RCMP for criminal investigation.”
Pratt began work for the Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat on July 25, 2024.
As the acting executive director of international relations, he reported to the deputy minister of the secretariat and was responsible for supervising four employees.
The notice of claim said Pratt was provided no notice or pay in lieu of notice for the termination. At the time he was 35 and making $124,700, plus various benefits. His efforts to find equivalent employment have been unsuccessful.
The onus is on the employer to prove just cause, the notice of claim said.
“The RCMP investigation that arose out of the PCO’s referral is ongoing,” it said. “No charges have been laid against the Plaintiff.”
Pratt is seeking general and special damages, interest and costs.
The lawyer acting for him did not respond to a request for comment.
The Tyee sought comment from the Privy Council Office and the RCMP but had not received responses by the time of publication.
A spokesperson for Eby’s office said that since the matter is both a human resources issue and subject to a legal action, the government would not comment.
The deadline to file a response is 21 days or when set by the court. ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
Read more: Rights + Justice, BC Politics
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