Settlement reached between discriminated LGBT public servants and federal government

A northern Ontario lawyer representing hundreds of LGBT veterans and other former public servants has reached a settlement with the government.

The settlement comes just before the federal government it set to make an apology to gay and lesbian federal government workers who faced discrimination when working for the government in decades past.

• Class action lawyer says without settlement LGBT apology 'will ring hollow'

• Sudbury man kicked out of the Navy for being gay part of class action lawsuit

• Sudbury woman to be in Ottawa for federal apology for persecution of LGBT public servants

Elliot Lake-based lawyer Doug Elliot says details of the compensation package will be released in the coming days.

He says he feared the government was hoping to save money on the settlement by apologizing to his clients.

"There have been moments during these negotiations that I've been worried that's what's going on," he said.

"I can tell you as a member of the LGBT community that I'm not going to stand for that in this case. And I'm not going to give an apology discount on this settlement."

Never going to be the same

Several people from northern Ontario will head to Ottawa this week to hear the apology from the prime minister on Tuesday, including a Sudbury man who CBC has agreed not to use his name.

He was forced out of the Navy 30 years ago for being gay.

"Pretty much stayed in the closet," he said.

"And as one friend said to me 'You're afraid people are going to find out you're gay.' You're absolutely right. I'm petrified of it."

He's part of Elliot's class-action lawsuit.

"He's never going to be the same person because of what happened to him," Elliott said.

"But he's really excited about being recognized and finally being told 'It's not your fault what happened. You didn't do anything wrong. We did something wrong to you'."