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Indigenous Worker Harassment Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Yvette Zentner and Letitia Wells filed a class action lawsuit against all Indigenous ministries in Canada.
- Why: Plaintiffs allege Indigenous individuals face harrassment, discrimination, and unfair career advancement at the same federal agencies meant to support them.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Canada.
Indigenous individuals face harassment, discrimination, and unfair career advancement while working at federal agencies meant to help them, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Yvette Zentner and Letitia Wells claim Indigenous ministries are a safe-haven for First Nations staff who harass, abuse, and hold back Indigenous workers, primarily women, they claim.
Zentner and Wells want to represent a Class of current or former employees who felt they faced harassment or discrimination while working at Indigenous Services, Indigenous Affairs, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, or Indian Oil and Gas Canada (IOGC).
Zentner, part of Siksika Nation, and Wells, a Blackfoot woman, claim they were subjected to racist language, sexual advances, and denied promotions while working at IOGC, reports CBC News.
Zentner claims she worked for IOGC for 24 years and was repeatedly denied promotions she was qualified for. Her career eventually stalled after she was sexually harassed by a superior who was ultimately given a promotion instead of being disciplined, she said.
Twenty-five First Nations workers from across Canada have so far signed onto the class action lawsuit, most of them women employed by IOGC, reports the Calgary Herald.
Wells alleges that, while working at IOGC, a supervisor grabbed her and attempted to drag her by the arm into a conference room, triggering her trauma from a previous domestic violence incident and ultimately led to her feeling unsafe at work and having suicidal thoughts.
Plaintiffs Seek Class Action Relief for Alleged Human Rights Violations They Incurred While Working at Federal Agencies
Zenter and Wells are seeking unspecified relief for alleged charter and human rights violations, along with $25 million in punitive damages, reports APTN National News.
Canada is currently dealing with multiple class action lawsuits in regard to its treatment of Indiginous citizens.
A woman recently alleged the country has a common practice of alerting hospitals to take away the newborn children of indigenous women, while another claimed widespread abuse occurred in hospitals set up in the 1940’s to treat indigenous individuals infected with tuberculosis.
Are you an Indigenous individual who has faced racism, harassment, or had their career stalled while working at an Indigenous ministry? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Mathew Farrell of Guardian Law Group.
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