A former Halifax firefighter, who fought for over a decade to have justice served over discrimination she endured based on her gender, is creating a committee to help others dealing with similar workplace battles.
“Anything from writing your own briefs, to talking about going to the media, but support on an emotional level … all of us have the same sort of experience where we were all treated as the enemy when we were just trying to speak out against the injustices that were happening,” Liane Tessier said.
In December 2017, Tessier received a formal public apology from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Chief Ken Stuebing, on behalf of the entire department.
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Fire Chief Stuebing said he wanted to acknowledge a part of the service’s history that “we are not proud of,” noting that firefighting has historically been a male-dominated profession.
While part of the fire service, Tessier says she faced threats, discrimination and insults from her male colleagues.
She brought her concerns forward but says there were an endless amount of “barriers and blind eye” moments that led to a lengthy battle to finally have her case properly investigated and settled.
“When I started speaking out in 2005, the thought of it was terrifying. I knew instinctively that I wasn’t going to get believed or taken seriously, I knew that. Like it’s ingrained in who we are and partly because we don’t get any support,” Tessier said.
Along with university professor Judy Haven, Tessier has formed a committee called “Equity Watch.”
“Many large employers have serious problems handling equity-related issues. Equity-related issues are things like pay inequities, are things like denial of promotion, are things like harassment and bullying in the workplace,” said Haven.
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While Tessier says it’s sometimes impossible to prevent incidents of workplace discrimination, it’s important to provide proper resources and supports that can help those in need.
Over 30 people attended their first open-door meeting.
“These were people who all were delighted to be able to be in a place where they would get help and give help,” said Haven.
The group held their first open-door meeting this week, where dozens of women showed up to voice their support for the committee.
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