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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been hit with a class action lawsuit accusing it of allowing systemic racism against employees in the force.
Plaintiff Margorie Hudson was reportedly one of the first Indigenous women to join the RCMP. She says she and other RCMP employees experienced racism by management and colleagues.
According to the RCMP racism class action lawsuit, Margorie joined the RCMP in 1979, but left the force in 2009 because she could no longer tolerate the stress of discrimination and the force’s alleged lack of follow through for any of her complaints.
As a result of the systemic racism she experienced while employed with the RCMP, Margorie says her physical and mental health has suffered. She has reportedly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and diminished self-worth due to the racism she experienced while employed by the RCMP.
According to the RCMP racism class action lawsuit, the force breached Margorie’s right to serve Canada in an environment free of racism.
Margorie alleges the RCMP normalized racism within the workplace. She says she received unequal pay and training. She also says that she was not given the opportunity to work on high-profile cases when compared to colleagues who were not racialized.
Even though Margorie reportedly attained a high success rate when solving difficult cases, her requests for promotion were denied and she was allegedly “told that she should be happy the RCMP had recruited her in the first place.”
In addition, the RCMP racism class action lawsuit alleges Margorie was sent to “countless dangerous jobs by herself with no back up, in situations where non-racialized RCMP members were not sent alone.”
Margorie says she addressed her concerns with her superiors on many occasions, but her concerns were not taken seriously.
“On one occasion, the plaintiff was strongly encouraged to drop a complaint or otherwise face a transfer,” the RCMP racism class action lawsuit says. “She was, in fact, transferred for speaking out.”
According to the RCMP racism class action lawsuit, Margorie is not alone. She says she observed that other employees were treated differently because of their race.
Margorie filed the RCMP racism and discrimination class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and a proposed Class of racialized individuals who have worked for or with the RCMP.
“My hope is that this lawsuit will bring about some positive change for racialized individuals who are still with the RCMP and those who join in the future, as well as those who formerly worked with or for the RCMP, such as myself, the strength to come forward and perhaps open a path to the healing process,” Marjorie says.
In a statement emailed to the National Post, Catherine Fortin, a spokesperson for the RCMP, said that there is no room for racism or discrimination within the RCMP. She said the RCMP is committed to ensuring the force is inclusive.
Lawyer David Klein, who is representing Margorie in the RCMP racism and discrimination class action lawsuit, says his law firm has been contacted by dozens of current and former RCMP employees who allege they experienced racism and religious discrimination within the force.
“It’s very similar to what happened with the Me Too movement,” Klein told the National Post. “As people see that they’re not alone, they feel less isolated, and there’s a safer environment in which to bring forward their experiences.”
Although the RCMP racism class action lawsuit is seeking financial damages on behalf of the Class, Klein notes that the case is meant to ensure that future RCMP employees do not have to put up with systemic racism within the force.
“They want initiatives put in place to ensure that minority groups who are represented in the force currently and who join the force in the future don’t have to endure what they’ve endured,” Klein says.
The RCMP has recently faced allegations of racism against Indigenous people. An RCMP discrimination class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a teenage boy who claims he was subjected to assault and arrest by RCMP officers based on his race. He alleges the officers called him a “Native punk kid” and other derogatory names, and that he had to receive medical treatment for the injuries he sustained during the arrest.
Earlier this year, the RCMP agreed to a $100 million class action settlement over allegations of gender-based abuse and discrimination within the force. Eligible Class Members may be able to claim up to $220,000 in compensation from the RCMP class action settlement. This settlement is accepting claims until Nov. 5, 2020.
Have you ever worked for the RCMP? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!
Margorie is represented by David Klein of Klein Lawyers.
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