Health Canada announces six million dollars to support Black public servants

BY PAUL JUNOR

It has been over four years now since the lawsuit filed by the non-profit “Black Class Action Secretariat” was launched. Since then, there have been several actions that have taken place. Health Canada announced on Thursday, February 22^nd, 2024, several initiatives that cost around six million that will support Black public servants in a positive way.

These series of initiatives were announced on Thursday, February 22^nd, 2024, by the Government of Canada as two pillars. The first part is an investment of $5.9 million that will go toward the creation of a Black-Centered Enhancement to the employee assistance program. Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board, told reporters at a press conference, “There is already an employee assistance program in place and what we are now doing is ensuring that there are counsellors, specifically for Black employees. These counsellors themselves will be Black and able to understand and address the targeted supports that we have heard Black public servants want and need.”

The second pillar focuses on leadership and career development. This executive leadership program will be run by Canada School of Public Service that is geared to certain specific categories of Black employees. Minister Anand states, “The program will be delivered to four cohorts of Black executives, a total of a hundred individuals over two years, starting this summer. These Black-Centered Programs will support the mental health and career growth of Black public servants and complement the deliberate focus on increasing representation of Black leaders in existing leadership development programs.”

In conjunction with Anand’s announcement, a press release was released in February that spouted details of these initiatives. They include:

• Health Canada is receiving funding for Black-centric enhancements to the Employee Assistance Program provided to more than 90 federal departments and agencies. This includes the recruitment of 19 additional Black counsellors this year alone, which brings a total of 60 Black counsellors, to provide culturally competent and trauma-informed mental health support to public servants and their immediate family members.
• The Canadian School of Public Service is receiving funding to launch an Executive Leadership Program for Black executives in groups EX-01, EX-02, and EX–03 to support their career advancement.
• The Public Service Commission (PSC) is receiving funding to provide individualized assessment, counselling, and coaching services to Black public servants. The PSC will also build on their current expertise and leverage available research and feedback from Black employees to improve the delivery of its career development services for all levels of Black public servants.

MP Anand notes, “To be frank, we haven’t done enough, and we haven’t done it fast enough. From a pay equity standpoint, from a systemic discrimination standpoint, we have work to do.”

She affirms that the federal government envisions a public service where discrimination and inequality are not the reality. MP Anand mentioned that the government is committed to follow through with the Action Plan on behalf of the Black public servants. She reiterates, “I am here today to commit, on behalf of the government of Canada, to do better.”

She is highly optimistic about the possibility that fairness, equality, tolerance and equity will be a common place in society. She notes further, “I know that there is more work to do, but we will keep working with Black public servants to address and prevent all forms of anti-Black racism. Diversity and inclusion, these are words that many of us use all the time; but we have to learn how to walk the walk and talk the talk. We have more roads to travel, and I look forward to doing it with you.”