A host of the Toronto channel CP24, which is owned by Bell Media Group, has filed a human rights complaint alleging a “systemic pattern” of racism, sexism and discrimination, CBC News reported Friday.
• Read also: Dozens of positions cut at Bell Media since January 2021
• Read also: Death of the Queen: Lisa LaFlamme becomes correspondent for CityNews
Patricia Jaggernauth said she would have been “treated like a pawn and a commodity” during her 11 years with the company as a weather specialist, reporter and co-host for CP24.
She thus claimed that she would have been excluded from certain promotions on several occasions and that she would have earned a lower salary compared to her position, according to the complaint filed Wednesday before the Canadian Human Rights Commission, including the CBC channel. News has been notified.
Half-Guyanese, half-Jamaican, the host claimed that she would have been refused a permanent full-time job and that she would have had to work several days without leave, which led her to the hospital for pneumonia.
“I almost died doing what I love because a freelance journalist can’t say no. Every hour is bread, every hour is rent, every hour is a tank of gas,” Ms.me Jaggernauth, who resigned last Tuesday.
“We do not comment on matters involving current or former members of staff, but we can confirm that Bell Media takes allegations of any potential discrimination very seriously and is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment where employees can thrive,” a Bell Media spokesperson said in an email to CBC News.
These allegations are revealed a few weeks after the announcement of the surprise ousting of the head of CTV News, Lisa LaFlamme, this channel also belonging to the Bell Media group.