Supreme Court won’t hear spy service analyst’s appeal over discrimination case

By Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press on October 17, 2024.

OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear the case of a Canadian Security Intelligence Service employee who filed a discrimination lawsuit against the spy agency.

In March, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld a ruling that found Sameer Ebadi should have followed the internal grievance procedures available to him.

In the initial ruling, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown said the court lacked jurisdiction to address Ebadi’s statement of claim filed in January 2020.

Ebadi, who uses a pseudonym due to the sensitive nature of his intelligence work, is on long-term disability leave.

He is a practising Muslim who fled to Canada from a repressive Middle Eastern country and began working as a CSIS analyst in the Prairie region over two decades ago.

His claim says he was passed over for promotion despite an excellent work record, and that he suffered bullying, emotional and physical abuse, discrimination and religious persecution from fellow employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

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