Janet Merlo (born 1963 in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Canada) joined the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

(RCMP) in 1991 and was transferred to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. In 2007, she filed a lawsuit against the RCMP for what she described as almost daily harassment. In 2010, she took a medical discharge from the police service. In 2012, after speaking publicly about gender based harassment in the RCMP (Canada's National Police Force), Merlo became the representative plaintiff in a proposed class action lawsuit against the force and the

Solicitor General of Canada The Solicitor General of Canada was a position in the Canadian ministry from 1892 to 2005. The position was based on the Solicitor General in the British system and was originally designated as an officer to assist the Minister of Justice. It was n ...

. The group of current and retired female police officers who have requested to join the class action has now grown to almost 400. In June, 2015, Merlo's lawyers presented arguments to the court in

asking for class action status, due to allegations of systemic sexual harassment and misconduct. In her memoir, ''No One To Tell: Breaking My Silence on Life in the RCMP'', published by Breakwater Books in 2013, Merlo detailed the discrimination she experienced and the depression it led to. She stated that the sexual harassment led to

post-traumatic stress syndrome Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merlo, Janet 1963 births Living people People from Newfoundland (island) Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers Canadian autobiographers Women autobiographers