Cst. Sarah Brown is anticipating the announcement of a possible settlement in the proposed class action suit involving about 500 female Mounties.
“It was like a hundred pounds came off my shoulders,” Brown said Wednesday.
The lawsuit, which was launched in 2011, alleges years of sexual harassment on the job.
“We’ve been waiting so long to hear what was going to happen…and then a couple of weeks ago we found out that we were waiting for the Treasury Board to come back. That was such a relief to not just myself but to everyone else involved,” Brown said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mounties announced a press conference for Thursday that will include RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Ralph Goodale, and plaintiffs Linda Gillis Davidson and Janet Merlo.
Merlo, a 19-year RCMP veteran from Nanaimo, went public with her own experience of ongoing discrimination before launching the suit in March 2012.
“I think this will be good news for the approximately 500 female members and former members,” Rob Creasser of the Mounted Police Professional Association said. “They’ll be able to turn a page, so to speak. But in terms of turning a page for the organization, we need legislation that allows us to have a more meaningful say into our working conditions. Until that happens, we’re going to have issues and harassment will continue.”
Back in May former Mountie Catherine Galliford accepted a settlement for years of sexual harassment while a member of the force.
As for the proposed class action suit, how much compensation could be paid out remains unclear. A settlement could mean many details of the allegations will never be revealed.
– With files from Catherine Urquhart and The Canadian Press
Comments