The Canadian Human Rights Commission has been subjecting its Black employees to racism, sexism, and systemic discrimination

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“It is inconceivable that the federal government would spend millions of dollars fighting Black public service workers in court, when the government itself has concluded that the very institution designed to address discrimination, is discriminatory.” Nicholas Marcus Thompson, Executive Director, Black Class Action Secretariat

It is hard enough being a person of color and living in a society that looks at you as less then, imagine being excluded  as a Black employee from opportunities for training and career advancement; being subjected to negative differential treatment in the workplace; summarily having your concerns about anti-Black racism within the institution dismissed; being continuously denied access to managerial and senior roles, and being routinely targeted if you spoke out against the discriminatory institutional environment.

On March 6^th, 2023, the Office of the Chief Human Resource Office at the Treasury Board Secretariat, issued a decision against the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) in response to a policy grievance filed by: the Public Service Association of Canada (PSAC), Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE). The decision held that the CHRC – the federal body responsible for resolving allegations of racism and other forms of discrimination – had itself been subjecting its Black employees to “Anti-Black racism, sexism, and systemic discrimination.”

What this did is affirm much of what many Black and other racialized individuals have been saying for decades. Unfortunately, the decision is unable to remedially address the economic and health impact of a decades-long discriminatory culture that undoubtedly denied employment opportunities and career advancement for countless Black individuals. It is important to note that workers opted to use the anonymous “policy grievance” option rather than individual or group grievances due to feeling unsafe and fear of retaliation.

What raises concerns is the CHRC’s capacity to offer justice to the broader experiences of Black workers across the entirety of the federal public service for the last 50 years. Even more concerning is that the Treasury Board Secretariat, the very department responsible for overseeing the public service and rendering this decision, is itself mired in historic and current allegations of systemic racism against its own Black employees.

Undoubtedly, the processes that the government wants workers to turn to for redress are broken and plagued with anti-Black racism. The Black Class Action calls on the Government of Canada to immediately begin discussions with them to find a pathway to addressing the impact of over 50 years of anti-Black racism and discrimination for thousands of workers. Indeed, the CHRC is not the only government institution or body facing such allegations. Many lives, careers, and families have been left decimated by systemic anti-Black racism that permeates the entirety of the public service. Further attempts to deny and dismiss these accounts only add to the culpable negligence of our leaders and erode the critical trust that Canadians expect from our institutions and elected officials.

“Enough is enough. Our members deserve justice, they deserve respect, and they deserve to be made whole. It’s time for this government to make things right so we can move forward in creating a more equitable and diverse federal public service, free of anti-Black racism,” stated Chris Aylward, PSAC National President.

Jennifer Carr, National President, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada had this to say, “This important legal action shines a light on systemic racism and discrimination within our workplaces, and it is a vital step towards fostering a more equitable and inclusive environment for all employees.  

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every individual is treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, and we must address the root causes of inequality in order to build a more just and compassionate society. We demand the government end its delay tactics and work with Black Class Action to bring equity and justice to public service workers.”