More women alleging harassment want to join lawsuit against RCMP

Nearly 400 female RCMP officersand civilian employees from across Canada are asking a B.C judgeto certify a class action lawsuit filed by Const.JanetMerloover sexual harassment and gender discriminationata hearingMonday.

"My name is on there, but there's 400 ladies standing behind from nine provinces and all the territories," saidMerlo, who is so far the only named plaintiff in acase that has beenmaking its way through the courts for three years.

"It speaks to a problem that's systemic and that's nationwide," Merlo said.

She filed the lawsuit aftera CBC News investigationinto sexual harassment offemale Mounties, including former spokespersonCpl. CatherineGalliford, prompted dozens more to speak publicly.

"It is absolutely a group effort that did start way back when Catherine first spoke to [CBC]," said Merlo, who helped startasupport group on Facebook after hearing Gallifordand others share allegationsof sexual assault and abuse on the job.

One of the Facebookgroup members in Ontario contacted a lawyer and the class action case slowly grew, with hundreds now hoping the court will decidetheir allegations are similar enoughto proceed asone case.

Sexual, physical, verbal assaults alleged

"They're gonna hear from people who had one or twoincidents that really upset them, to women who were physically assaulted and sexually assaulted during the course of their career,"Merlo said.

David Klein, the lawyer representing the women,said some clients have been left unable to work, with serious psychological injuries. A third of the womenare still on the job.

So far, 363 women have officially joined the case with several more waiting for the outcome of this week's hearing, Klein said.

"If you were to focus onthese isolated incidents, of practical jokes, inappropriate comments, of sexualized gestures, you might not see the entire picture, but what we have here is a broad, serious, systemic problem," he said.

The allegations

• Rape.
• Unwanted sexual touching.
• Physical assault.
• Sexist comments.
• Threats.
• Gender discrimination.
• Harassment.
• Bullying.

Merlo said she had a bad experience when she told her supervisor in Nanaimo, B.C., that she required a maternity leave.

"He just started yelling and screaming at me," she recalled.

"If I wanted a career in theRCMP, I'd have to decide on that or I could pop out kids my whole life ... he told me that next time I should keep my f---ing legs closed."

Merlo said she waited until her supervisor retired tohave anotherchild.

Sex toys in detachment

Inanaffidavit,Merloallegesanother bossmade"overtly sexual comments to me, offering to rub my breast ... offering to give me his 'big Italian salami' and asking if 'I liked it on top?'"

She said asergeantkepta naked blow-up doll in his office, and at one point a dildo was left on her files, followed by a vacuumattachment.

"My boss told me he'd left me a present that was long and black and thick and I could take it home on days off and have fun with it," she said.

Merlowrote a book titled No One to Tell: Breaking My Silence on Life in theRCMP sharingherfrustration that her complaints at the time went nowhere.

'It's a misogynistic organization'

CBC News has spoken to dozens of female RCMP officers and civilians who allegethey were punished for complaining.

"They just had no use for women. It's amisogynisticorganization that found it inconvenient to have women and mothers,"said Yvonne Walsh, a retired corporal who lives in St. John's.

Walsh said grievances and even letters to theRCMPcommissioner at the time were ignored.

Sheclaims her boss retaliated byrefusingto promote her oraccommodate her request to be with her childduring a medicalcrisis.

'Threatened and bullied'

Nancy Arias, a former publice servant in Ottawa, alleges some RCMP managers were abusive bullies.

"The inspector would yell and scream at me and leave me in tears" said the woman who was involved in a prolonged dispute with a co-worker.

Arias said RCMP management failed to deal with a difficult employee who targeted her.

"I was threatened, I was bullied," said Arias, who now works as a dishwasher.

She said she was too late to take her complaint to the Human Rights tribunal, but hopes the class action will proceed.

RCMP says force has changed

Last year, theRCMP revamped its complaint processand says bad behavior is now dealt with swiftlyunder its action plan to curb harassment.

The RCMP wouldn't comment on the class action case, but said there are far fewer harassment complaints now thanks to the women who came forward.

"Those experiences that have been shared by those women and other individuals have been a significant component of how we've understood what we need to do differently in the organization to change," saidChief Supt. Angela Workman-Stark, who isoverseeing the RCMP's gender and respect initiative.

Commissioner Bob Paulson has committed to changing what he has called a "culture of harassment."

While none of the allegations have been proven in court,Klein is asking the federal government,the defendant in the case, to compensate his clients.

"It can have a debilitating effect on these women. We've seen depression, suicide attempts, substance abuse, broken relationships and shattered careers," he said.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney wouldn't comment on the case, but hisspokesman Jeremy Laurin said in a statement, "All RCMP members and employees should feel safe and respected."

Several potential plaintiffs are expected to attend Monday's hearing, scheduled to run for five days.

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