Presentation( Power-point) 1- Inventory of facts, 2- statement of problems, 3- Analysis of causes, 4- Theory applicati

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Presentation( Power-point) 1- Inventory offacts, 2- statement of problems, 3- Analysis of causes, 4-Theory application, 5- List of possible solutions, 6-Implementation, 7- summarization
Gender-Based Harassment among the Royal Canadian MountedPolice
Learning Goals
In this case, you will have an opportunity to evaluate howorganizational culture influences the way power is used and ethicaldecisions are made within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).Consider why the RCMP developed such a widespread problem withgender-based harassment allegations. Did the RCMP leadershipcontribute to the problem and, if so, how can they help to resolveit?
Major Topic Areas
The Scenario
In December 2006, the BC Court of Appeal upheld the decision bythe BC Supreme Court to award Nancy Sulz $950 000 in damages forsevere, long-term harassment experienced while she worked forCanada’s RCMP.8 The sexual harassment she endured starting in 1995led to her request for a medical discharge from the RCMP in 2000,due to major depressive disorder. Her harasser, Staff SergeantDonald Smith, has continued to enjoy a successful career with theforce. Sulz was not the first person to complain about him; anotherfemale officer made similar allegations in the late 1980s butultimately did not pursue them.
Four female RCMP officers alleged that they were sexuallyassaulted by Sergeant Robert Blundell during undercover operationsthat took place in Calgary between 1994 and 1997. Their internalcomplaints were dismissed and ignored, a problem that went all theway up to then-Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli. The officersreported that after filing complaints, they were “considered ratsand whistle-blowers and subject to harassing ridicule.”9 The fourofficers felt that “the lack of response signalled to the rank andfile of the RCMP that silence, cover-up, and minimization are thepreferred method of dealing with harassment within the RCMP.”10
The officers chose to file a lawsuit against the RCMP inCalgary’s Court of Queen’s Bench in September 2003 because of theRCMP’s lack of response. “We have done everything we can do withinthe force to address the problems and issues,” the four reported ina formal statement. “They have not been satisfactorily resolved,and we’ve had to take this step as a last resort.”11 At the time offiling their case, two of the alleged victims were on stress leaveand the other two reported losing career opportunities within theforce. One lost her role as a hostage negotiator, and the other hasnot been assigned to undercover operations since making theallegations. The alleged perpetrator of the sexual assaults,meanwhile, lost one day of pay and was later promoted. The case wassettled out of court in 2007, with the terms kept secret.12However, in December 2011, The Fifth Estate reported thattwo of the complainants continue to feel they were let down by theRCMP in the matter. “That seems to be the way of the RCMP, that’skind of like the toothless tiger. There’s never anyaccountability,” said Victoria Cliffe, one of the fourcomplainants.13
Janet Merlo, of Nanaimo, BC, would no doubt understand thefrustration the four Calgary RCMP officers experienced. Shereceived a medical discharge from the RCMP due to post-traumaticstress disorder that was a direct result of ongoing workplaceharassment and bullying. She was allegedly subjected to frequentsexual remarks and unwanted invitations from her immediatesupervisor. Co-workers also left sex toys and pornography on herdesk. It took two years after Merlo’s initial complaint for theorganization to respond. The response thanked Merlo for her letterand noted: “As you are aware the RCMP does not take theseallegations lightly and, in fact, has an obligation to provide aharassment free environment for all of our employees.”14 Merlo wasadvised that the matter had been investigated but no action wouldbe taken. Subsequently, Merlo initiated legal proceedings, but shewas unable to continue due to the high costs involved.15 HeliKijanen, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, who quit her job with the RCMP in2011 due to incessant harassment, has experienced the samechallenges trying to get justice.
Other court cases are proceeding. Officer Elisabeth Couture, ofSurrey, BC, made a claim through civilian courts against three maleRCMP colleagues for systematically targeting her and creating aclimate of fear in the workplace. Staff Sergeant Travis Pearsonfound himself in criminal court due to allegations that he rapedOfficer Susan Gastaldo, of Burnaby, BC, in his home and thenactively stalked her children in order to intimidate her intosilence. An unidentified former RCMP officer testified at his trialthat Pearson had also attempted to rape her under very similarcircumstances, but she was too intimidated to report it at thetime.16
In November 2011, Corporal Catherine Galliford, of Langley, BC,another RCMP officer and victim of ongoing workplace sexualharassment, decided she had had enough. She used the media to giveher voice weight and expose the extent and severity of theharassment experienced by many of the 2613 female RCMP officers, asmall minority in a force of 22 000. It was not long before otherwomen, inspired by Galliford, also came forward to tell theirstories, resulting in the beginnings of a class action lawsuitagainst the RCMP for its failure to address widespread gender-basedharassment and bullying. RCMP leadership has little reason to besurprised. An internal study conducted in 1996 found that 6 out of10 female Mounties had been sexually harassed at work and that morethan 10 percent reported unwanted touching by male colleagues.
Unfortunately, that same leadership has done a very poor job ofresponding to complaints or addressing the cultural issues thatunderlie them. Questioned after Galliford had gone public, KristaCarle, one of the four Calgary RCMP officers who filed a complaintagainst Blundell, said the following about her formal complaint:“there was an internal review and nothing came of it. There was amemo that went out to colleagues and staff about how there was anincident with someone placing inappropriate material on someone’sdesk. Everyone knew it was me, so it was almost like I got blamedfor getting the guys in trouble. And they never found out who putthe on my desk.”17 Carle was discharged from the RCMP withpost-traumatic stress disorder that she attributes to 19 years ofunremitting sexual harassment and general bullying.
Paul Champ, a lawyer who has been involved in RCMP cases, saysthat “the process often takes years because the RCMP often does nottreat complaints as a priority. … Most complaints are dismissed outof hand or dismissed with no remedy offered to the complainantother than ‘we talked to him about it.’”18
Recognition of the scope of the problem led Bob Paulson, the newRCMP Commissioner, to make an unprecedented formal statementacknowledging that the continued existence of the force itself wasat risk. He needed to “clear-cut problems that have taken rootdeeply. Too many Mounties believe their authority entitles them tomisuse power. … The Mounties are one or two more earth-shatteringheartbreaks away from losing all credibility. I tell you, one daythere is going to be the removal of the Stetson (the RCMP’semblematic hat and symbol of the force) if we don’t get thisright.”19
Steps have been taken. An external labour relations expert wasretained to review the RCMP’s existing harassment policy, and a newcode of conduct was introduced in April 2014.20 Some are skepticalthat these efforts will help to change a long-entrenched culture.Officer Elisabeth Couture believes that “management at the locallevel routinely turns a blind eye to harassment as it’s occurring.You can have all the staff workshops on the issue that you want,but unless detachment supervisors deal with incidents in a forcefuland unequivocal manner it won’t matter.”21
The RCMP’s female officers who have experienced harassment, bothpast and present, are not waiting around to see if these efforts toeffect change within the RCMP will be successful. By July 2014, aclass action lawsuit was launched by over 330 women.22 The lawyerrepresenting Janet Merlo reports that “the stories are consistent.The stories are common in terms of harassment, bullying, andoftentimes, sexual issues. The calls are sad, hugely sad. Thestories are terrible. Many serving members are unable to workbecause they are petrified in light of their experiences.”23Lawyers are also quick to point out the impact that thesegender-biased attitudes may have on perceived injustice in thebroader community. For instance, a lack of perceived sensitivitymay inhibit female members of the public from reporting sexualassaults or stalking incidents. With the class action lawsuitproceeding, the RCMP leadership will need to carefully consider howto restore its reputation and credibility among both female staffand the broader community.
Discussion Questions