Why are people of colour still facing discrimination in the workplace? Amendments to the Public Service Employment Act are needed!

BY PAUL JUNOR

It has been less than a year since the federal government launched the review of the Employment Act. This review was part of the mandate that was presented in the federal Budget 2021. This mandate states, “The Government of Canada has also amended the Public Service Employment Act to address barriers for equity-seeking groups in public seeking groups in public service staffing. These amendments represent foundational work that will help departments take measures in their staffing actions to reduce barriers, and encourage more inclusive recruitment practices.”

Since it was announced on July 14^th, 2021, the thirteen member Task Force has been having meetings since July, 2021 to  “Identify ways to make work environments more inclusive and representative, we must recognize the lived experiences of women, LGBTQ2 Canadians, Indigenous peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, persons with disabilities and other under-represented in workplaces.”

The members of the Task Force intended to be independent of the government arms include:

• Chair, Professor Adelle Blackett
• Vice-Chairs Professor Marie-Therese Chicha and Dionne Pohler,
• Tao (Tony) Fang, Kari Gaddings
• Helen Kennedy
• Raji Mangat
• Fo Niem
• Kami Ramcharan
• Sandra Sutter
• Josh VanderVies
• Marie Clarke Walker
• Ruth Willaims.

It was in 1986 that the Employment Equity Act was introduced and is, “An important tool for Canada to promote fairness, equality, and diversity in federally regulated workplaces.” It is specifically made for designated groups covered by the Act. These groups include: women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

There are expectations that the Task Force will come up with some meaningful recommendations as it studies issues related to: equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. They will be seeking input from diverse stakeholders, committed partners, and Canadians from diverse backgrounds, experiences, lived social realities and positions.

The Black Class Action Secretariat has been fighting for justice for Black workers in the federal civil service. They sent an email to the members on Wednesday, April 6^th, 2022 as an Urgent: Call to Action for them to “Call for a separate designated category for Black workers, apart from the visible minorities category.” The email describes what usually takes place when there is a gap in the workplace for visible minorities and it is necessary to hire based on employment equity.

The email notes, “The employer can select any of the groups in the visible minority category for hiring and promotional opportunities. The selected candidates are usually non-Black visible minorities members. As a result, Black workers are excluded from these promotional opportunities in the public service. The majority of class members that signed up for this legal action have never been promoted throughout their careers, despite being well-qualified.”

The deadline to provide feedback to the Task Force is April 28^th, 2022.