Dear colleagues and friends,
We are pleased to announce that ECCC will celebrate its 8th Respect Day on February 9, 2023. For more information, please visit ECCC’s 8th annual Respect Day - ECCC Intranet on your Departmental computer.
Respect Day was inaugurated in 2015 as a joint initiative between the bargaining agents and management, and has since become a best practice followed by other Departments. It aims to promote and build a culture of care within our department. A culture of care exists in workplaces where employees feel safe to discuss mental health, to raise concerns, and where employees and managers use an empathetic, inclusive and respectful approach, encourage professional support, and look out for one another.
The theme for this year is Accessibility, which aims to encourage employees of ECCC to get engaged in the conversation and in the collective effort to build and maintain an accessible workplace, including virtual workplaces. We all have a responsibility to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace that is free of barriers.
This is particularly important this year, as we have just published the first ECCC Accessibility Plan. Inspired by the “Nothing without us” strategy, the goal of the Plan is to create a workplace that is barrier-free and give Canadians the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world. We will work to proactively identify and remove existing barriers, prevent the creation of new ones, and facilitate the full participation of persons with disabilities. If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you all to read the Plan.
Take part in the event “Towards an accessible ECCC”
On February 9, join keynote speakers Joshua Frame, from the Federal Speaker’s Forum on Diversity and Inclusion, and Marie-Christine Beshay, Occupational Therapist and McGill Faculty of Medicine Lecturer, to explore the individual actions that can be taken daily to create communities, workplaces, and services that enable everyone to participate fully in a society without barriers. The event will highlight the importance of accessibility in the workplace as an enduring value, paving the way for ECCC to become a leader in accessibility as we move towards the future of work.
Date: Thursday, February 9, 2023.
Time: 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (EST)
Join us by clicking on one of the following links:
- Event in both official languages, without interpretation
- Event with simultaneous interpretation in French
- Event with simultaneous interpretation in English
- Event with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation
- Event with interpretation in Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ)
For each option, you will be able to activate real-time captions.
Thank you for your engagement in fostering a healthy, inclusive and accessible workplace. We hope to see you all there!
Stay safe, stay well!
Respectfully,
Waheed Khan
President, National Consultation Team