MONTREAL – Last week, CP24 host and personality Patricia Jaggernauth (above) filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission against the channel’s owner Bell Media, which details allegations of systemic racism, sexism and discrimination.
Jaggernauth joined CP24 in June 2011 and has since worked in a variety of roles including as a weather specialist, remote reporter and CP24 Breakfast personality, according to her Linkedin page.
She told CBC in an exclusive interview she was “treated as a token and a commodity” during her 11 years there and was repeatedly passed over for promotions while her white colleagues advanced.
Jaggernauth, who is part Guyanese and part Jamaican, further said she was earning less than a living wage and alleged because she is a racialized woman, she was not offered even a contract. This led her to feel she had to put work ahead of her health.
“I almost died doing what I loved because a freelancer can’t say no,” she told CBC. “Every hour is bread, every hour is rent, every hour is that tank of gas.”
Bell Media is not commenting on the allegations.
“We do not comment on matters involving current or former staff members, but can confirm that Bell Media takes allegations of any potential discrimination very seriously, and are committed to a safe, inclusive, and respectful work environment where employees can thrive,” a Bell Media spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Cartt.ca.
“If a matter is brought to our attention where an employee did not feel adequately supported, a process is triggered to review and address when required.”
These allegations come not long after Bell Media issued a statement announcing it would be conducting a third-party internal workplace review of its newsroom following the departure of former CTV National News host Lisa LaFlamme who said in a video on Twitter she was “blindsided” by Bell Media’s decision to end her contract early.
That video sparked a discussion about how women are treated in the media industry.
Photo borrowed from Jaggernauth’s Twitter page.
