VANCOUVER—A former senior investigator at Canada’s RCMP watchdog has launched a $1.65-million lawsuit against the agency for sexual harassment and workplace bullying.

Ex-Mountie Jason Galloway claims in court documents he was “lured” to a job at the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, a public service agency tasked with investigating complaints against Canada’s national police force.

The lawsuit alleges that when Galloway filed a harassment complaint against his hiring manager, Richard Evans, several workplace investigations found Galloway had been the victim of sexual harassment and that Evans had violated several policies in hiring him.

Then, the suit alleges, the watchdog revoked Galloway’s job.

“The (commission) chewed up my client and spat him out,” said André Marin, a lawyer at Lister Beaupre, the firm representing Galloway.

“In my 20 years of investigating matters at all levels of government as ombudsman, I’ve never seen anything like it.” Marin was Ontario’s ombudsperson from 2005 to 2015.

CRCC spokesperson Kate McDerby said the agency would not comment as the matter is before the courts. She added that Evans no longer works for the agency.

The allegations contained in the notice of claim have not been tested in court. Despite multiple attempts by the Star to contact Evans, he did not respond to detailed questions about allegations in the lawsuit. No statement of defence has been filed, to the Star’s knowledge.

Lawsuit documents filed in the B.C. Supreme Court allege that Galloway, now 37, first met Evans, who was senior director of operations at CRCC, in the fall of 2015, when Evans travelled from his home in Ottawa to the Vancouver area for an RCMP-related matter.

The lawsuit alleges that in the following months, Evans convinced Galloway, who was an RCMP officer at the time, to apply for a job at the civilian agency, where he would head the British Columbia office and work under Evans, who was stationed in Ottawa.

In June 2016, Galloway resigned from the RCMP and began working for the watchdog as a senior investigator.

What followed was months of what Galloway alleges in court documents was sexual harassment and bullying.

In the lawsuit, Galloway claims Evans’s unwelcome behaviour during this time included unrelenting texts and phone calls that were at times sexual in nature, as well as Evans pressuring Galloway to accompany him to social outings.

Galloway alleges that when he did not reciprocate Evans’ advances, Evans reacted with sudden outbursts of anger and threats to fire him. The lawsuit details one 2016 incident in which Galloway alleges Evans struck him across the face after Galloway said he didn’t want to continue drinking with him.

In October 2017, Galloway filed a complaint to the agency against Evans, alleging “sexual harassment, bullying, intimidation, assault and creation of a toxic work environment,” according to the suit.

That same month, Galloway went on sick leave. In lawsuit documents, he says he was experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as anxiety and depression.

The lawsuit alleges that the CRCC appointed a workplace investigator to look into the complaint. The resulting report — published in July 2018 — allegedly affirmed Galloway’s claims of sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation.

In December 2017, an anonymous whistleblower flagged “administrative irregularities” at the CRCC, according to the lawsuit. Former deputy justice minister John Sims was appointed to investigate the matter. His investigation recommended that the Public Service Commission, an independent agency that functions as the federal staffing watchdog and is tasked with ensuring a neutral and non-partisan public service, take a further look into Galloway’s hiring.

The lawsuit alleges that the resulting April 2019 report concluded that Evans had tampered with Galloway’s job application and lowered the education requirements of the job to better suit Galloway’s credentials. The report also stated that Galloway was not at fault for his supervisor’s breach of hiring protocol.

In August 2019, the CRCC revoked Galloway’s job appointment.

According to Marin, Galloway has been unable to work due to mental health issues ever since.

“It’s unfathomable the way he was treated. He was treated like a commodity,” said Marin.

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On Jan. 31, 2020, Galloway filed the lawsuit against the agency and his former supervisor, demanding $350,000 in lost wages, $500,000 for moral damages, $300,000 for damages relating to bullying and harassment and $500,000 in punitive damages.

Galloway is currently receiving long-term disability from WorkSafe BC, which, according to lawsuit, found he is suffering from mental illness that was predominantly caused by work-related stressors, including bullying or harassment.

Correction - Feb. 12, 2020: André Marin was Ontario’s ombudsperson from 2005 to 2015. A previous version of this story contained incorrect dates.

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