Sajjan says military working to settle class action suits out of court
OTTAWA — The federal government is launching settlement talks for three proposed class-action lawsuits filed by former Canadian Forces members who say they experienced harassment and discrimination while in uniform.
Word of the decision comes two weeks after Justin Trudeau blasted the Justice Department for its response to one of the proposed suits, although the government refused to say whether the prime minister’s comments played a role.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced the planned negotiations on Friday, saying the plaintiffs in the proposed lawsuits had agreed to suspend their litigation and that the government would in turn drop its efforts to quash the cases and seek to resolve the cases outside court.
Two of the proposed lawsuits were brought forward by former members who say they were sexually assaulted or harassed while in uniform, while the third relates to allegations of endemic racism and discrimination against visible minorities and Indigenous service personnel.