Chris Cousins trial: Ex-QEC worker angry over not getting promotion, says witness

Resentment and anger over not getting a promotion affected Chris Cousins' behaviour at work, the former director of human resources for the Qulliq Energy Corporation testified yesterday in a suit brought by Cousins against the corporation.

Catherine Cronin took the stand in the civil trial Thursday morning. Cousins is suing the corporation for $500,000, saying he had to leave his job at the corporation in March 2011 after four disciplinary actions against him, which he says stemmed from his defence of Inuit employment.

Cronin said Cousins' resentment about not getting the job of director of operations at the QEC in July 2009 turned into "intense anger." She said that anger went into his everyday work.

She said Cousins was unable to move past his anger and he was "aggressive" and "unco-operative" when QEC staff tried to resolve issues with him.

Cronin said Cousins made disparaging remarks about the corporation's treatment of Inuit staff to the board president and the minister responsible for the power utility.

She said being called a racist by Cousins is a defamation of character for a human resources professional.

Cousins' lawyer Phil Hunt pointed out that she never heard the remarks directly. Hunt suggested instead Cronin went on the attack to save her professional reputation by using disciplinary actions.

In January 2011, Cousins was suspended unpaid for 30 working days, demoted to a non-supervisory position and was ordered to complete an anger management training program.

That was several days after Cousin, a manager, and three unionized QEC employees took their complaints straight to the house of Lorne Kusugak, who was the minister responsible for the corporation.

Francis Leger, a labour relations leader at the corporation from 2010 until he retired this spring, testified Thursday afternoon. He said the visit to Kusugak's house was just one part of Cousins' "continuing campaign to discredit the corporation."

Leger said Kusugak was upset about the concerns raised by Cousins and the other employees and that he told Leger that the group were troublemakers who had to be dealt with.

Leger referred to the group of QEC employees as "horsemen" in an email to Cronin and director of operations Dave Clark.

On Thursday Leger testified he did not name the group the "horsemen," but heard the term used by others around the QEC to refer to them, including by Cronin.

Final arguments in the civil trial are set to begin Friday morning.