Internal report exposing rampant discrimination at the head of Canada’s Public Service

BY PAUL JUNOR

The press conference by the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination held on Monday, July 29^th ,2024 at the Press Conference Room, Bock on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was a significant one in Canadian history.

The press release before the press conference stated that they would address the media to discuss shocking details from the internal report outlining widespread discrimination at Canada’s Privy Council Office (PCO). The federal government is Canada’s largest single employer, and the PCO heads the country’s federal public service, while also supporting the Prime Minister and the federal cabinet. As such, the findings of blatant discrimination are extremely troubling, and a concern to all Canadians. Obtained through the Access to Information Act, the internal audit offered a number of recommendations, which have yet to be publicized or implemented. The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination will announce a number of calls to action in response to the findings.

There have been several mainstream media outlets that have reported on the press conference have outlined the safe space findings and recommendations to the Privy Council Office from the final report by Dr. Rachel Zellars. The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s (PSAC) reported on Tuesday, July 30^th, 2024, that as a result of interviews that Dr. Zellars conducted over six months, she came to several disturbing conclusions. She observed “A workplace where racial stereotyping, macroaggressions’, and verbal violence was regularly practiced and normalized and a culture that lacked accountability mechanisms.”

The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination is calling for:

• The resignation of Deputy Clerk, Natalie Drouin, who was responsible for the discrimination file since 2021, and the resignation of Assistant Clerk to the Cabinet, Ministerial Services and Corporate Affairs, Matthew Shea, the head of Corporate Services since 2017,
• The federal government must appoint a Black Equity Commissioner to address systemic anti-Black racism across all levels of government (similar to the two representatives appointed to address Antisemitism and Islamophobia).
• The federal government must establish a department of African Canadian affairs to centralize and give priority to anti-Black racism work.
• The federal government to immediately implement the Employment Equity Act amendments it promised in December 2023, to add Black Canadians as an employment equity group.
• The federal government to provide restitution to Black public sector workers who have launched a class action lawsuit based on years of discrimination as identified in multiple reports.

Nicholas Marcus Thompson, President of Class Action Secretariat states, “It is shocking that this level of blatant discrimination occurred in one of Canada’s highest offices. Once again, those who have been perpetrators of discrimination are being tasked with implementing change. This approach has consistently failed and it’s time for real arm’s length accountability mechanisms, and structural change to meaningfully address anti-Black discrimination.”

Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress states, “This report underscores the urgent need for the federal government to immediately table the Employment Equity Act amendments, in line with the Task Force’s recommendations. Additionally, the government must satisfactorily settle the class action filed by Black public service workers to address the systemic discrimination they have endured.”

Nathan Prier, President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees states, “As representatives of professionals working with the Privy Council Office, we are outraged that such discriminatory practices have been allowed to persist. It is clear that significant structural changes are urgently needed to create a fair and inclusive workplace for all employees. The federal government must act decisively to implement the necessary reforms and ensure accountability at all levels.”

In an email from the PSAC-AFBC on Sunday, July 28^th, 2024, it mentioned that there would be an Emancipation Day March starting at the Human Rights Monument Ottawa to the offices of the Privy Council. The email states, “August 1 is Emancipation Day, a time to reflect on the legacy of the enslavement of Black and Indigenous Peoples in Canada, celebrate the strength and perseverance of Black communities across the country, and demand an end to ongoing anti-Black racism in Canadian society and in the federal public service.”

The email lists the following four organizations that will be involved in the march: The Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, the Black Class Action Secretariat and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.