A Quebec man says his RCMP training left him feeling beaten and humiliated, and he was forced to leave a promising career because of racial discrimination.

Jean-Luc Morin told the opening day of a human rights tribunal Tuesday his problems began when he was working as a trainee officer in Burnaby, B.C.

He told the tribunal of how, after only three months, his supervisor told him he should look for new work.

Jean-Luc Morin
Jean-Luc Morin

He talked about how his supervisor called him names, and criticized him at every turn. Morin noted his strong points were never noted in his evaluations.

Fo Niemi, with the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, an organization that helped place Morin with the RCMP, said he was set up to fail during his training with the Mounties.

"There were practices that included slurs and insults and excessive working conditions, very much tied to his being black and to a certain extent being French-speaking from Quebec," said Niemi.

Catherine Lawrence, a lawyer for the RCMP, said Morin was fired in 1997 because he didn't have what it takes to be a good Mountie.

She said Morin failed to meet the "minimum criteria" to remain with the RCMP.