TORONTO — Longtime on-air television individuality and CP24 climate professional Patricia Jaggernauth has submitted a criticism with the Canadian Human Rights Fee in opposition to Bell Media, alleging systemic discrimination all through her 11-year vocation.
Jaggernauth’s grievance, released on Wednesday and to start with noted by CBC, tends to make allegations of discrimination based mostly on race, gender and incapacity by Bell, her previous employer. The Toronto-based media firm owns cable information network CP24. In the complaint, Jaggernauth alleges Bell constantly handed her more than for promotions and tried to prohibit her ability to freelance exterior the corporation inspite of by no means presenting her a whole-time work.
“She has been employed as a token and commodity when it is handy and valuable,” the Toronto-based mostly reporter’s grievance reads. Jaggernauth identifies as becoming of Guyanese and Jamaican ancestry on social media.
“And Bell now wishes to very own her likeness and her vocation, irrespective of putting her in a posture in which she simply cannot gain a residing wage in spite of giving 11 a long time of her occupation to the firm.”
In a assertion emailed Saturday, Bell Media mentioned it can’t remark on matters involving present-day or previous team.
“Bell Media takes allegations of any potential discrimination quite very seriously, and are committed to a protected, inclusive, and respectful work setting in which workers can thrive,” the assertion mentioned. “If a make a difference is introduced to our notice in which an staff did not experience sufficiently supported, a system is induced to evaluate and tackle when demanded.”
In the criticism, Jaggernauth alleges Bell Media only features her two days of compensated employment per week, and she therefore gained most of her revenue executing freelance function. Her criticism alleges the business enforced a phrase this previous summertime that she could not carry out any paid out things to do exterior of the corporation devoid of administration’s approval.
“Bell has accomplished this whilst at the very same time denying (Jaggernauth) promotions she has earned and is capable for, and whilst refusing to give her with comprehensive-time work,” the criticism reads. The complaint specifics a amount of positions she was allegedly denied “for no justifiable foundation.”
The human legal rights criticism even further alleges an “unsafe and unhealthy function surroundings” at Bell Media prompted her “a myriad of wellbeing troubles,” such as critical stress, anxiousness and despair. “Years of long times, short turnarounds, prolonged get the job done stretches and getting instructed to work for weeks on months, non-stop with no breaks,” contributed to Jaggernauth being hospitalized in 2019, the declare alleges.
It claims she later on knowledgeable a “traumatic” on-air breakdown during Bell Enable’s Speak Day. A section from this yr’s Bell Permit’s Communicate Day posted to CP24’s YouTube channel reveals 5 hosts, which includes Jaggernauth, discussing their psychological wellness.
Jaggernauth starts crying when she opens up about her struggles.
“In this market, what I’ve uncovered is you get to be in the shiny lights, you know, listed here you have this astounding career, and persons consider you’re a multimillionaire, you’re so fortunate. But want to put my footwear on men?” the clip reveals her saying by way of tears.
Jaggernauth’s grievance promises she approached her manager months later for help, and was made available a business-proposed therapist, who she said she wasn’t relaxed speaking to.
The doc also alleges guys and gals are paid differently at the firm, and that Black women of all ages are not effectively represented on-air at CP24. “At Bell, persons of colour are cynically used as tokens,” the doc reads.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission application states Jaggernauth consistently brought up her issues with Bell administration — especially to Bell’s president and vice-president of information Michael Melling — but that she was not taken critically. Melling took depart from his career in August, amid the fallout from the ousting of Lisa LaFlamme as anchor of CTV Countrywide Information, the enterprise’s flagship newscast.
Jaggernauth’s attorney Kathryn Marshall claimed in a assertion that her shopper is “relieved to eventually be telling her tale.”
Jaggernauth did not straight away answer to a ask for for an job interview.
This report by The Canadian Push was very first printed Oct. 8, 2022.
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This story was developed with the monetary help of the Meta and Canadian Push News Fellowship.
Tyler Griffin, The Canadian Push
