Ex-officer suing RCMP says she didn't understand racism until she joined the force
Former RCMP officer Margorie Hudson speaks with CTV News on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.When Margorie Hudson joined the RCMP in Manitoba in 1979 as one of the first Indigenous women on the force, she said she was shocked by the racist comments she heard from fellow officers.
Following a 31-year career with the RCMP, Hudson is now suing the force for alleged systemic racism she experienced on the job, including unequal pay, lack of opportunities compared to her white colleagues and years of discrimination that culminated in lasting psychological trauma.“I’ve talked for 31 years and they weren’t listening,” she said. “So I said, ‘You know what, I quit.’ And I threw the badge out and I walked out.
The lawsuit also alleges that Hudson was sent to do "countless dangerous jobs by herself with no back up, in situations where non-racialized RCMP members were not sent alone."Sometimes other officers were present and witnessed what happened but said nothing, Hudson said. She alleges that numerous complaints voiced to RCMP management were never investigated or were completely ignored.
But speaking out began to take a toll on her mental health. She says the RCMP disregarded her complaints, as well as the stress and other consequences to her physical and mental health.
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