Alice Clark found a pair of plastic breasts taped to her work station with her badge number and “RCMP Girl” written on them.
Some male officers refused to let her back them up in the field and her calls for assistance often went unanswered. On one occasion, Clark was guarding a body at a murder scene when an officer suggested they have sex in the back seat of his car.
Clark is the former Red Deer City detachment officer who successfully sued the RCMP after suffering five years of sexual harassment and discrimination at the hands of her superiors and peers. The two examples merely scratch the surface of dozens of incidents outlined in her lawsuit. A federal court awarded her $93,000 in 1994 for lost wages and compensation for pain and suffering.
In her soon-to-be released book, Blush of the Scarlet, Clark shares her experiences at the Red Deer detachment during the mid-1980s.
By telling her story, the ex-Mountie hopes to help others who may face harassment, bullying or intimidation in the workplace or other situations.
“My story is not unusual,” said Clark, 58. “It’s very common. It’s just that the organization involved is unusual.”
Decades later, however, allegations of gender discrimination and harassment on Canada’s national police force still persist.
Recently, more than 400 civilians and female officers across Canada have asked a B.C. judge to certify a class action lawsuit against the RCMP. The allegations range from rape, discrimination and sexual touching to physical assault.
Reached in her Nanaimo, B.C., home, Clark said she is not surprised that these women are coming forward.
After Clark won her case in the 1990s, female officers throughout Canada reached out to her with their own stories.
“When I sued, I had no one to support me in the process except for my then-husband (a former officer) and one (RCMP dispatcher) who was posted to Red Deer,” said Clark. “When she testified at my trial, she was no longer working for the RCMP.”
Clark quit the force in 1987 and took a job with the B.C. government. She said it took her many years to come to terms with what happened and step into her personal power.
“Members within the RCMP must speak out when they see or hear the abuse,” said Clark. “There is no excuse to remain silent. We all own it and we all need to work to change it.”
In the 1980s and 1990s, there were few women in policing, and harassment in the workplace was not at the forefront of social discussion. Today, there are an estimated 4,000 women on the force.
Red Deer now boasts the largest RCMP detachment in Alberta, with roughly 91 men and 40 women on the payroll.
Only a handful of women worked in Red Deer’s 60-member detachment in the 1980s.
At the time, it was unheard of to sue someone for sexual harassment, let alone the Canadian government.
Red Deer lawyer Lorne Goddard knew winning the case would be an uphill battle, starting when he filed the statement of claim, because no one had ever argued sexual harassment in court.
A week before the case went to trial, the defence lost all its witnesses. One other witness came forward a few days before the trial began.
“We went against the government of Canada and the RCMP,” said Goddard. “It was pretty daunting. Alice had a lot of courage. ... The RCMP tried very hard to make Alice look like she was incompetent. They had her on the stand for quite a long time and she held her own. We were able to prove sexual harassment against her.”
While Goddard was representing Clark, he had two other similar cases that were eventually resolved.
Goddard said he is not sure if there has been any cultural shifts in the RCMP over the years, especially in light of the recent allegations.
“It was a case that changed the law but I don’t know if it changed behaviour,” he said.
Clark said when she found out that RCMP were investigating her for two alleged assaults, she had enough. She had been transferred to Beaverlodge and she thought that horrible chapter of her life was over.
“I thought they are not going to give me any peace no matter where I go,” said Clark, who at the time used her maiden name of Abernathy. “They are not going to let me be. So I quit. Being naive, I thought if I quit they are going to drop the charges. Of course, they didn’t. That’s when I got mad because I gave them what they wanted and they are still going after me. I thought, ‘No that’s enough. You want a start a fight. You better be prepared to finish it.’ ”
A jury of six men and six women found Clark not guilty of the assault causing bodily harm. The assaults were alleged to have occurred against two women and the three-day trial took place in the Court of Queen’s Bench in September 1988. Clark was charged with two counts of assault, dating back to arrests she had made in 1983 and 1986. Neither woman, who Clark arrested in two separate incidents, lodged a complaint with the RCMP at the time. The two women testified that they were approached by the RCMP about the incidents in 1987.
The assault charges came six months after Clark filed an internal sexual harassment complaint against fellow officers in the fall of 1986. Her then-husband Bruce Clark, also a Mountie, quit the force soon after she was served the papers.
Goddard, who was also Clark’s lawyer in the assault case, told a court that senior RCMP officers knew about the alleged assaults immediately after they happened but decided not to take action. He argued the charges were laid vindictively and therefore constituted an abuse of the principles of fundamental justice.
“Nothing happens until after Alice Abernathy lays a complaint of harassment,” he said.
Outside the courthouse after the non-guilty verdict in 1988, Clark told the Advocate that women will have to fight hard to combat the old attitudes held by some male officers that women don’t belong in the force.
Clark said if she didn’t fight back, she didn’t think she could live with herself.
“It was something that would have eaten at me for the rest of my life,” she said.
The wounds are still healing but Clark wants to do her part to help restore pride in Canada’s national police force. She still believes the RCMP needs a cultural attitude shift that must begin at Depot, the RCMP training academy in Regina.
“I still believe in the force,” Clark said recently.
She could not hold back her emotions as she spoke.
“And it hurts. I love the force. It was a lifetime dream to be a member. And I have a great deal of respect for them. I know it’s a very difficult job. I know it’s hard to do. I know there’s a lot of great people out there. I want to make it better again. I want them to be Canada’s pride again. We have lost that and we need it back.”
Clark said she loved the job but she hated being treated horribly.
“I have come out of it a better person in so many different ways,” said Clark. “And I thank the RCMP for what happened because I wouldn’t be the person who I am today. I really like who am I today. Because of that, I am in a place where I can help other people.”
Clark said she plans to offer workshops to women’s centres, educational institutions and to anyone who is interested in taking control of their lives.
Blush of the Scarlet will be available in paperback, e-book and audio in August. More information is available on Blush of the Scarlet on Facebook.
RCMP officials in Ottawa did not respond to Advocate requests for an interview.
According to its website, the “RCMP is committed to a safe and respectful work environment, free of discrimination, and harassment. However — as with any large organization — conflicts can arise.”
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com