A proposed class action against the Attorney General of Canada has been launched by Wagners Law Firm over allegations of systemic gender and sexual-orientation-based discrimination, harassment, bullying and sexual assault of women in the Canadian Armed Forces.
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The statement of claim, filed Monday at Nova Scotia Supreme Court by Halifax-based lawyer Ray Wagner, alleges the Attorney General is “vicariously liable for the systemic sexual misconduct.”
“Sexual misconduct and harassment is a deep-rooted problem in Canadian military culture,” Wagner said in a release.
In an interview with Global News, he said the lawsuit aims to address a wider problem.
“This is a case about a system, the whole system, and we’re saying that in the Canadian Armed Forces, there’s a pervasive system which allows this abuse to take place.”
Glynis Rogers is the plaintiff in the case and joined the Armed Forces in 2006 at the age of 18.
In her statement of claim, she alleges that in addition to the persistent and systemic discrimination, she overheard and received offensive comments from male members meant to demean or belittle women, and experienced objectification.
In her claim, she also alleges she was sexually assaulted in 2012 by a male member while at CFB Borden in Borden, Ont., but was reluctant to tell her peers or superiors of the incident.
In an interview with Global News, she said the lawsuit is about more than just her story.
“My story is just one of many,” Rogers said. “This lawsuit is more focused on the systemic issues in the military.”
Rogers said she hopes her involvement in the class action can help create change.
“I feel like it will shed some light on these systemic issues and hopefully incite the necessary changes to eradicate gender-based discrimination from the Canadian Armed Forces.”
Wagner noted that a 2015 external review of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in the Armed Force by former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Marie Deschamps found a “sexualized environment” within the Forces “conducive to serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault.”
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The report, according to the release, found the processes used by the Armed Forces to report and resolve sexual harassment incidents were “too complex to be effective, and do not yield appropriate outcomes.”
“The accounts of rampant, routine sexual discrimination, bullying and unwanted sexual advances against female members are astonishing,” said Wagner in the release.
“This frequent misconduct is part of a troubling and deeply embedded culture that female members have been forced to endure. It’s time to step back, acknowledge how wrong it is, and take a stand against it.”
Once the class-action lawsuit is certified, Wagner told Global News his firm expects to represent anyone impacted who “fits within the definition.” He also encouraged people to come forward so they can be informed as the process continues.
An interview request to the Attorney General of Canada was referred to the Department of National Defence, who had not yet responded by 9 p.m. AST.
– With files from Steve Silva, Global News
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