Canada Supreme Court rejects attempt to throw out RCMP harassment lawsuit News
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Canada Supreme Court rejects attempt to throw out RCMP harassment lawsuit

The Supreme Court of Canada Thursday rejected the federal government’s appeal to stop a class-action lawsuit against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This was the government’s second attempt to halt the proceeding of the case addressing systemic harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the RCMP.

The lawsuit, seeking more than $1.1 billion in damages, alleges that RCMP was negligent in failing to provide a workplace free of harassment. It claims:

For decades, the RCMP leadership fostered and condoned a culture of bullying and intimidation and general harassment within the Force, creating a toxic workplace. The harassment of the RCMP Members was bolstered by statutory and institutional barriers that prevented RMCP Members from engaging in collective bargaining and/or obtaining other meaningful redress for their grievances.

The plaintiffs in the case are Geoffrey Greenwood, 52, and Todd Gray, 53. They are both RCMP veterans from Alberta, and they both allegedly experienced harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the workplace. They claimed that the power imbalance and “paramilitary structure” of RCMP silenced possible complaints: “Any efforts by the plaintiffs and other Class Members to report, speak out, complain or pursue internal grievances respecting harassment were diminished, ignored, dismissed, and/or mischaracterized, including as interpersonal conflict.”

After the court’s decision, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said in a statement: “I respect the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision. Separate and apart from the court proceedings, I recognize there is always more we can do to improve our workplace. Ensuring a more equitable workplace, free of harassment, violence, and discrimination is a top priority for the RCMP.” The statement included initiatives RCMP has implemented to change the organization’s culture.

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