The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
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Letter to Public Service Commission President Patrick Borbey

May 29, 2019

Patrick Borbey
President, The Public Service Commission
22 Eddy Street
Gatineau QC K1A 0M7
By email: patrick.borbey@canada.ca

Re: Employment Equity Promotion Rate Study

Dear Mr. Borbey,

I am writing today on behalf of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which as you know represents some 60,000 public service professionals principally employed by the federal government.

The recent Employment Equity Promotion Rate Study published by the Public Service Commission (PSC) demonstrates that while some progress has been made on equity, diversity, and inclusion in the public service, critical gaps remain in the experiences of equity-seeking groups in specific sectors.

The study’s results indicate that while promotion rates for women in the federal public service have improved over the years when compared to those of men, there are still significant shortfalls in certain areas. Namely, women still have significantly lower promotion rates in the scientific and professional categories. Additionally, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities also have lower promotion rates in these same categories. As the union representing the single largest science workforce in Canada, the Institute is acutely aware of the challenges that women face in the public sector’s scientific and technical professions.

The Institute urges the Public Service Commission to leverage the work currently being undertaken by bargaining agents, including PIPSC, to act on the study’s recommendations. More specifically, the Institute encourages the PSC to build upon the findings of the PIPSC 2018 study, Women in Public Sector Science: From Analysis to Action, which likewise identified barriers unique to the conducting of intersectional research. Current activities, such as the Women in Public Sector Science Learning Lab (October 2019) and Women in Science Task Force, also represent potential points of knowledge regarding the barriers faced by women in science.

Further, the Institute encourages the PSC to conduct a GBA+ of the Employment Equity Promotion Rate Study and future research activities, like the upcoming Staffing and Non- Partisanship Survey (Spring 2020). A GBA+ will illicit critical analyses on promotion rates as they relate to intersectionality, and should be duly conducted throughout the research process. A GBA+ will also support and speak to the PSC’s first recommendation, which is to better understand underlying barriers that contribute to lower promotion rates for some employment equity groups.

The Institute supports the PSC’s recommendations for outreach to government agencies in order to increase awareness of the range of policy, service and program options aimed at supporting a diverse workplace, but we must stress the importance of consultation throughout this process. It is vitally important that members of equity seeking groups are consulted throughout the follow-up process; this includes meaningful and accessible opportunities for members to provide feedback on the recommendations and create opportunities for change.

Finally, the Institute reiterates the critical importance of the Employment Equity Promotion Rate Study findings showing that women and other members of equity seeking groups continue to face barriers in career progression. This is a matter of significant importance to the Institute. We are calling for a clear plan of action from the PSC on how it intends to act on the study’s recommendations. We also recommend that the PSC leverage current bargaining agent activities on employment equity to examine barriers facing women in science and technical professions, conduct a GBA+ of past and future research activities, and devise a plan for consultation with equity seeking groups as it endeavours to act on the study recommendations.

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau
President
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

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