Ex-soldier sues Canadian Forces for $1.5M
Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
QUEBEC - A Quebec woman who spent 25 years in the Canadian military is suing her former employer for $1.5 million, arguing she suffered years of sexual harassment and discrimination.
In a lawsuit filed in Quebec Superior Court, Lise Gauthier claims that being a lesbian made her a target. She said she was sexually assaulted in 1982 and 1983 shortly after she joined the Forces in Trenton, Ont. She argues that the Canadian military considered her homosexuality as a "sexual abnormality".
Gauthier charges that she was repeatedly harassed in Trenton. She was transferred to Bagotville, north of Quebec City in the Saguenay area, in 1994.
The plaintiff claims that she was "psychologically and sexually harassed" in Bagotville, too, and that when she complained to her superiors, one of the men she accused ended up being promoted.
Gauthier, who now lives in Sherbrooke, Que., alleges the harassment intensified after she filed a complaint and that she was denied promotions "out of revenge." She became a master corporal in 1994 and never changed rank.
"They (her superiors) did everything in their power to make her pay for her betrayal of the esprit de corps (spirit of comradeship)," the lawsuit reads.
Gauthier is seeking $1.5 million in compensation for being ousted of the Forces early in 2007, for being denied promotions and for moral and punitive damages.
A statement of defence has not been filed.
© Canwest News Service 2008
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Date & Time: Sep 26, 2008 04:30 PM - Sep 26, 2008 06:00 PM
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When: Friday, September 26 2008 – 7:30pm
Location: Rhizome Café - 317 E. Broadway, Vancouver
What: Canwest: Media Bully
Mordecai Briemberg, Carel Moiswiwitsch and Gordon Murray, activists being sued by Canwest for conspiracy to produce and distribute a Vancouver Sun parody, will discuss the import implications of their court case for free speech, media chill, and political satire when Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) are used by the dominant media corporation in Canada.
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SCRAP
A Political Fashion Show to Stop Violence Against Filipino Women
semi-formal gala event
October 26
7 to 9 pm
Centre A - Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
2 W. Hastings
Tickets $25 regular / $50 VIP
Contact Niki at the Kalayaan Centre 604-215-1103
With the growing number of Filipinos entering Canada daily, most of whom come under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), PWC has been able to document and advocate for the many victims of various forms of violence. Using fashion as a tool, members of the Filipino community aim to empower these women by sharing and educating the community about their stories.
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