We know that Cpl Catherine Galliford has joined a class action sexual harassment law suit against the RCMP to which many other officers have joined. We know that The Harper and the Christy Clark governments responded to those allegations in court by claiming Cpl Galliford was an unstable drunk who wanted to be sexually harassed. That’s something that Freud would say. You were raped because you wanted to be raped. That is absurd.
Nevertheless, the lawsuit was initiated by Janet Merlo, who alleges ongoing discrimination during her 19-year career in the detachment in Nanaimo, B.C., that included sexist insults, pranks involving sex toys, requests for sexual favours and other gender-based discrimination. I guess she was an unstable drunk who wanted to be sexually harassed too. Along with the 200 others who have joined the class action law suit.
Former RCMP officer Valerie MacLean attended court on Friday and claimed nothing has changed. That is the ultimate concern. The mud slinging denial comes as the government tries to avoid financial liability for damages. Unfortunately, all these flowery promises of change are empty distractions for legislation that makes it easier to fire whistleblowers which is illegal.
There is a huge problem that needs to be addressed. Denial and sweeping it under the carpet is not the answer. Firing whistleblowers is not the answer. Obeying the law and firing people like Jim Brown and Don Ray is. Failing to do so opens the RCMP and the government to legal damages.
Yeah, isn't it, like, *hundreds* of officers...? So many that it was really amazing to read!
ReplyDeleteFailing to do so also, by association, brings the basic concept of law and order into disrepute. In other words, people who are sworn to uphold the law and thereby the level of of civil behavior in society are contributing to an overall lowering of the level of respect for both.
ReplyDeleteThe RCMP needs to be gutted and rebuilt. Unfortunately, the majority of people capable of doing police work are already part of the problem. Could a strong, common sense civilian leader oversee such a process? Sure, if they had some military experience maybe. The RCMP is more a para-military organization that most police dept.'s are, and as such is even more highly resistant to change. Unfortunately Canada doesn't have Winston Churchill or a reasonable facsimile thereof waiting in the wings to tackle the problem, "Neville Harper" having proven inadequate to the task.
The RCMP needs to rebuild itself, but they are basically saying at every turn in the road, "Fuck you, we'll do what we want". Sounds like something a criminal would say. And as has been demonstrated over and over, they will continue to get away with it. Nothing will change until we start putting cops in jail on a regular basis who prove they deserve to be there.
Obviously the RCMP is doing something wrong when it comes to screening. They seem to attract a lot of people whose behavior is less than sterling who see the attraction of "membership" as, in addition to the paycheck and secure job, the ability to do as they wish without real fear of sanction.