No One to Tell: Breaking My Silence on Life in the Rcmp

A stunning personal account of Janet Merlo's twenty years of service in the RCMP, with an introduction by Linden MacIntyre. In 2012, Janet Merlo was among the first female RCMP officers to publicly allege she had experienced sexual harassment and gender discrimination while serving in Canada`s national police force. The women kept silent for so long, she says, because there was no one to tell. In this courageous memoir, Janet recalls how her love of policing was soured by covert and overt sexism within the ranks and by an institutional culture that valued toughness and silence over ethics and accountability. Tracing her twenty years in uniform, Merlo’s story details the highs and lows of her career in the RCMP – while her mental health and personal life disintegrated. Eventually, the cost of keeping quiet was simply too high, and her story emerges as a lone, brave voice seeking change.

Janet Merlo is a retired member of the RCMP. Originally from Harbour Grace, Merlo now lives with her two daughters in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She is the representative plaintiff in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the RCMP.

Leslie Vryenhoek is a St. John’s-based writer and editor whose poetry, fiction and memoir have appeared across Canada and internationally and have won several awards. She is the author of Scrabble Lessons (fiction, 2009) and Gulf (poetry, 2011), both published by Oolichan. For two decades she has worked as a communications professional in education, development, emergency response and arts, including for the University of Winnipeg, the Canadian Red Cross, and Memorial University. She is currently the writer and editor for the international research/action network WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing). Leslie is also the director of Piper’s Frith: Writing at Kilmory Resort.

Linden MacIntyre is one of Canada’s most distinguished broadcast journalists. The winner of nine Gemini Awards, he is the co-host of CBC Television’s the fifth estate, and has been involved in the production of documentaries and stories from all over the world. MacIntyre was born in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, and grew up in Port Hastings, Cape Breton. He now lives in Toronto. http://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/linden-macintyre.html#.UVMytBesiSo