Bonnie Robichaud害羞草研究所檚 ordeal started in the late 1970s when she got a unionized job as a cleaner on a military base in Ontario, and a Department of National Defence employee began sexually harassing her.
Her complaint eventually reached the Supreme Court of Canada, and in 1987 it set a precedent requiring employers to provide workplaces free of harassment and discrimination.
She says things are different now. But it害羞草研究所檚 women, and 害羞草研究所渘ot so much the military,害羞草研究所� that have changed.
害羞草研究所淲omen have become more aware, so the culture has become more aware. Women up to that point didn害羞草研究所檛 even talk to each other very much about it,害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所淪ince that victory, they have now sought support from others, other women, other groups, legal advice. So, women have become more proactive since the Supreme Court decision.害羞草研究所�
Victims of sexual harassment in Canadian police forces, the military, and its spy agency point not just to individual offenders, but to ongoing acceptance of problematic behaviour in such tight-knit organizations.
Scandals that have engulfed the institutions point to long-standing cultures in need of a 害羞草研究所渄eep reckoning,害羞草研究所� said law professor Sylvia Rich with the University of Ottawa.
Rich, who studies police violence against women and organizational culture, said most big organizations deal with harassment issues to some degree.
But she said sexual harassment can be 害羞草研究所減articularly severe害羞草研究所� in organizations that 害羞草研究所渁re very hierarchical.害羞草研究所�
Recruits are trained from the outset to respect hierarchy, said Rich, and 害羞草研究所渂eing trained to respect hierarchy might sometimes mean being trained to respect the person who is harassing or abusing you.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭hat makes potentially a culture in which it害羞草研究所檚 really easy to take advantage of people害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hen there are reporting mechanisms that are really lax.害羞草研究所�
Robichaud, who released a memoir last year called 害羞草研究所淚t Should Be Easy To Fix,害羞草研究所� said fixing the problem of workplace harassment requires leadership that doesn害羞草研究所檛 exist.
She said the mental toll wears complainants down, but she 害羞草研究所渉ad the resources to fight back and had my union to pay my legal fees.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所業t shouldn害羞草研究所檛 take that kind of effort to get your supervisor to stop asking for sexual favours,害羞草研究所� she said.
In the decades since Robichaud害羞草研究所檚 case, two comprehensive reviews of the Canadian military by former Supreme Court justices Marie Deschamps and Louise Arbour found sexual misconduct remained a problem.
害羞草研究所淚n 2015, my former colleague, Justice Marie Deschamps documented the sexualized culture in the CAF,害羞草研究所� Arbour害羞草研究所檚 2022 review said.
害羞草研究所淭he revelations of Justice Deschamps led to a flurry of activity by the CAF in an attempt to fix the problem. Unfortunately, those efforts have so far failed.害羞草研究所�
Arbour declined a request for an interview.
Statistics Canada released a report last week saying 3.5 per cent of regular armed forces members reported being sexually assaulted in the military workplace or by a military member in the previous 12 months. That is more than double the rates reported in 2016 and 2018.
Sexual misconduct and harassment issues have led to multimillion-dollar legal settlements against the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
Those with pending legal actions say speaking out publicly is one way to effect change to make workplaces safer.
In October 2023, a group of current and former police officers launched a class-action lawsuit against more than a dozen municipal police forces in British Columbia.
The female officers害羞草研究所� lawsuit alleges pervasive harassment, bullying and discrimination against them by fellow officers and management, including misogynistic comments, unwanted touching and sexual assault.
Helen Irvine is a plaintiff and an officer with the Delta Police Department.
She said she developed depression after enduring sexual harassment and 害羞草研究所渞etaliatory abuse害羞草研究所� by management after complaining about it.
害羞草研究所淢y life will never be the same,害羞草研究所� Irvine said in an interview. 害羞草研究所淚 will always carry this with me.害羞草研究所�
Irvine quit the department last year and has since found a career 害羞草研究所渇ar from policing.害羞草研究所�
Fellow plaintiff Cary Ryan, formerly with the West Vancouver Police Department, said she was 害羞草研究所渞outinely exposed to unwanted physical contact and invitations for sex with co-workers.害羞草研究所�
She said her complaints were dismissed by management as 害羞草研究所渆motional,害羞草研究所� and she left the force back in 2009.
害羞草研究所淚t goes to show you this has been going on for decades,害羞草研究所� she said in an interview. 害羞草研究所淭his isn害羞草研究所檛 new.害羞草研究所�
Another lead plaintiff can害羞草研究所檛 be named because her identity is covered by a publication ban, having been sexually assaulted by a fellow member of the Vancouver Police Department. That officer was convicted and jailed last year.
The woman, who is still in policing but with another agency, said sexual harassment in law enforcement is 害羞草研究所渞ampant,害羞草研究所� and mechanisms to investigate gender discrimination, sexual assault and harassment are 害羞草研究所渘ot working.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e a failure, and they害羞草研究所檙e failing to protect their female employees,害羞草研究所� she said.
She said harassment in municipal police forces is an 害羞草研究所渆pidemic,害羞草研究所� and she quit the VPD after 16 years in May.
害羞草研究所淟eaving the Vancouver Police Department was the best decision I could make for my own survival,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭he decision didn害羞草研究所檛 come lightly, but I needed a safe place.害羞草研究所�
The plaintiffs, she said, banded together after they concluded that as women in these organizations, 害羞草研究所測ou either quit or kill yourself in municipal policing.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭hankfully, I was joined by five other extremely brave women who were victims of the same treatment,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭ogether we have been able to bring light to this and now we see it害羞草研究所檚 not only us and we害羞草研究所檝e known all along that it害羞草研究所檚 not only us.害羞草研究所�
The women claim the Police Act is flawed because it doesn害羞草研究所檛 allow officers to be seen as 害羞草研究所渧ictims害羞草研究所� of police misconduct. It was years after her assault before her attacker was fired.
害羞草研究所淭he delays within the Police Act are atrocious,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭he Police Act was never meant to capture violence against women in the workplace.害羞草研究所�
None of the municipalities named as defendants in the lawsuit have responded in court. The defendant that has, the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner, claims it was wrongfully included in the case.
The complaints commissioner, its response says, has a 害羞草研究所済atekeeping role害羞草研究所� and doesn害羞草研究所檛 害羞草研究所渃onduct investigations or decide misconduct allegations on their merits,害羞草研究所� nor does it 害羞草研究所渉ave authority to engage in broad, system-wide investigations害羞草研究所� under the Police Act.
Complainants are sometimes vilified, their careers stifled and their motives questioned.
Nicole Patapoff, an RCMP officer in Burnaby, B.C., complained about harassment by a firearms instructor who told her to 害羞草研究所済et a bottle of Windex 害羞草研究所� and just start cleaning害羞草研究所� to improve her trigger finger strength. Later, she claims the instructor made inappropriate comments about her appearance.
She took the issue to the force害羞草研究所檚 Independent Centre for Harassment Resolution, which was set up after sexual harassment scandals in the federal force, but she was unsatisfied with how it handled her complaint, and sought a review in the Federal Court of Canada.
After the details were reported in the media, she found an online post written by a former RCMP member who characterized her as hoping for a payout.
害羞草研究所淎s if I stuck my neck out like that to try to get money,害羞草研究所� Patapoff said. 害羞草研究所淣one of this was ever about money. It害羞草研究所檚 about wanting to just be treated like a human being.害羞草研究所�
Patapoff said that even after former Supreme Court Justice Michel Bastarache delivered his landmark report in 2020 entitled 害羞草研究所淏roken Dreams, Broken Lives: The Devastating Effects of Sexual Harassment On Women in the RCMP,害羞草研究所� problems persist.
害羞草研究所淣othing害羞草研究所檚 changed,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭he toxicity in the culture at the top is just, it害羞草研究所檚 very deep seated and it害羞草研究所檚 very systemic and I don害羞草研究所檛 know how to fix it.害羞草研究所�
Patapoff and the RCMP settled the case before it went to a judge. She said the settlement meant her complaint was being 害羞草研究所渞emitted to a new investigator for investigation,害羞草研究所� which is the remedy she had sought from the RCMP.
For women in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, complaining about mistreatment by co-workers carries unique challenges.
An investigation by The Canadian Press that was published last month detailed what a group of B.C.-based surveillance officers said was a toxic work environment.
Two officers claimed they were sexually assaulted by a senior colleague, leading to them suing the agency. CSIS Director David Vigneault said at an employee town hall after the story害羞草研究所檚 publication that the service would create an ombudsperson害羞草研究所檚 office to handle workplace problems 害羞草研究所渨ithout fear or reprisal.害羞草研究所�
He also said the agency would release annual public reports on harassment and wrongdoing in the agency.
A former CSIS employee who worked in Ottawa for more than a decade, who spoke to The Canadian Press on the condition of anonymity, said making complaints at the agency is fraught with career peril in 害羞草研究所渟uch a tight community.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淵ou have a community that害羞草研究所檚 the size of a high school, dating each other and drinking with each other and hanging out with each other and so the bonds are strong,害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所淣ow I have a problem and I want to file a complaint, but who am I filing to? Your spouse? Your best friend? Your mentor?害羞草研究所�
Revealing the identity of a covert officer is punishable by up to five years in prison
Rich, the law professor, said changing cultures at these organizations to better protect female employees will likely be a 害羞草研究所渧ery hard and long process,害羞草研究所� but 害羞草研究所渢hat doesn害羞草研究所檛 mean that it害羞草研究所檚 not occurring.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 extremely hard to shine a light on the internal workings of policing or military or paramilitary organizations. They are secretive,害羞草研究所� she said.
害羞草研究所淚t makes it even clearer that there may need to be some real deep reckoning in order to fix this problem.害羞草研究所�
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