Did you miss PIPSC’s Black History Month webinar?

Historically, Black Canadians faced systemic barriers to integrating into many professional disciplines and sports. Our event screened the short film, “Ice Breakers,”  that told the story of Josh Crooks, a leader who was the sole Black hockey player on his team in Atlantic Canada.

Our panelists, Eric Pierre-Louis (police sergeant and former NCAA football player) and Marie Clarke Walker (consultant and former secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress) discussed the many accomplishments Black Canadians can be proud. They provided their unique perspectives on how Black Candians have broken barriers to representation throughout society. As a union, we can learn from these experiences.

Tune in now to watch the video. If you want to learn more or get involved with the PIPSC Black caucus, contact the caucus now.

There’s so much to learn about and explore in Canadian Black History.

Once again, PIPSC is joining the Canadian labour movement in celebrating Black History Month. Black history deserves fair representation in media, arts and literature. We salute initiatives that bring Black history to light and work to correct historical imbalances.

Join our screening of “Ice Breakers”

As the sole Black hockey player on his team in the Maritimes, Josh Crooks is a trailblazer. If it weren’t for the support he received after racist incidents, he could have quit his favourite sport altogether.

He didn’t find his place on the team by a stroke of luck.

For a long time, Blacks were forbidden from playing hockey with white athletes. The Maritime Coloured Hockey League was formed in 1895 to bring change and to make the sport more accessible.

Today, Josh’s story is an important reminder of how we need to support Black trailblazers in the workplace, on sports teams, or in civil society.

We’ve invited guest speakers to address these topics and more in our free webinar for PIPSC members called “Increasing representation for Black Canadians: from sports teams to the workplace.”

Event: Increasing representation for Black Canadians: from sports teams to the workplace

Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM ET

Format: Webinar with short film screening, followed by panel discussion

Guest speakers: 

Eric Pierre-Louis, former NCAA football player

Marie Clarke Walker, former secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress

Micaëlla Riché, athletic talent acquisition specialist and former professional basketball player

RSVP now

What’s at stake this year?

We know that Black workers need unions to take action and address systemic racism. You can count on your union to always work hard on this priority.

Our support is still strong for the federal Black class-action lawsuit.

We’re also supportive of the Federal Black Employee Caucus. Worker representation is important and we’re thrilled that Black workers have a platform to identify priorities and address issues faced in the federal public service.

PIPSC Black Caucus

We’ve launched a Black Caucus that is a strong voice for representation within our union. Working under the auspices of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee, the caucus is leading the way to build a labour movement that supports Black families and fights anti-Black racism. The PIPSC Black Caucus is seeking volunteers. Email the caucus to learn more about the opportunities.

Breaking barriers

Representation matters. 

When Black youth see Black scientists, actors and athletes thriving, they know they belong in those disciplines.

Black Canadians had to break barriers to enter careers where they’ve been historically underrepresented. Unions work tirelessly to increase representation through different means to ensure different viewpoints are considered in bargaining, decision-making and workplace representation.

Just like in academia and workplaces, systemic barriers are present in the world of sport. In the Maritimes, those barriers pushed Maritimers to create the Black Hockey league. This year, we’re taking a closer look at the impacts of systemic barriers to participation in sport and academia, and the parallels those barriers have with the world of work.

More Black History Month resources

• Watch the National Film Board’s video series
• Check out the Canadian Labour Congress’ campaign
• Sign the House of Commons petition against racial profiling
• BIPOC health and healing resources from McMaster University
• Anti-Racism Learning Series from the Canada School of Public Service
• Learn about the Anti-Racist Ambassadors Network

Our PIPSC executive members gathered for a video screening and an intergenerational panel discussion on November 18, 2021.

We viewed an excerpt from “First Contact,” an APTN series. In the video, a group of white Canadians visit one of Canada’s longest-running residential schools. 

With the video and panel discussion, we learned about what Indigenous children faced while residential schools operated. Indigenous children were taken from their families and put in schools like the one in the video. What the state-sanctioned educators made the children go through was akin to torture. Sexual, physical and verbal abuse were common.

The panel was broadcast live from the Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN) studio in Winnipeg. Vera Houle of Sandy Bay Ojibway Nation moderated the discussion. It featured youth ambassador Taylor Galvin of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and Elder Belinda Vanderbroeck (Ininiw; Soki Kapikiskwet Osawi Omisiw).

Our Indigenous representative to the Canadian Labour Congress, Greg “Wolf-Star” Scriver, thanked APTN and the panelists for their generosity in meeting with us.

To take action for reconciliation, contact our Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

Earlier this summer, the government announced the launch of a new Task Force to review the Employment Equity Act and break down the barriers to the recruitment, promotion and retention of members of equity-seeking groups in federally-regulated workplaces.

This issue is top-of-mind for our members and the Institute fully supports the work of the Task Force. 

Given our members’ unique perspective on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) situation in federal workplaces, we are eager to work with the Task Force towards developing permanent solutions to address this critical issue. We have contacted its Chair, Professor Adelle Blackett, to request a meeting with her team in the weeks ahead and have also submitted our analysis and recommendations in writing.

The representation of equity-seeking groups in the federal workplace cannot improve in the current context. Decisive and immediate action must be taken to finally create a federal workplace that reflects the people of Canada and their values. The federal government must move away from “quick fixes” and address this critical issue once and for all.

We are in the process of preparing a second document for the Task Force that will exemplify many of our racialized members’ staffing and employment equity experiences in federal service.

PIPSC is your ally for building a welcoming and inclusive workplace for LGBTQ2S+ workers

Our LGBTQ2S+ community has overcome incredible obstacles. While we can be happy that we legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, and that we’re making it easier to express gender identity on official documents, there’s still a lot of hatred and discrimination throughout Canada that we must eliminate. LGBTQ2S+ individuals still fear violence following a gruesome homophobic attack in Toronto, Pride flags being burned, and daily microaggressions.

Canada has failed the LGBTQ2S+ community many times

When queer bars and bathhouses, regarded as LGBTQ2S+ safe spaces, were raided in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver by local police, LGBTQ2S+ Canadians knew their rights were under attack. How can the community feel safe when being queer is criminalized by the people tasked with protecting us?

LGBTQ2S+ Canadians working in the public service are still healing from the public service purges that went on from the 1950s to the 1990s. A special department was created in the federal government to root out homosexuals from the public service, forcing LGBTQ2S+ workers to live in fear. The government finally apologized for this purge, which still haunts past and present public servants and community members.

And today, men who have sex with men are still barred from donating blood. Although all blood is rigorously tested for any diseases after it’s collected, blood collection policies are still rooted in the 1980s. A straight man can have sex with as many partners as they want, and still donate blood without question. This is nothing short of discrimination.

The Canadian labour movement has a key role in supporting LGBTQ2S+ communities

The Canadian labour movement is supporting a massive reinvestment LGBTQ2+ communities. LGBTQ2S+ community initiatives are hugely important in building a network of solidarity for individuals who come out of the closet, who need access to services, and who want to build a culture of resistance against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

We’ve also called to eliminate Canada’s discriminatory blood donation policies that force gay men to be abstinent before donating blood while heterosexual men can have as many sexual partners as they like.

Normalizing diversity of gender identity and sexual orientation in the world of work

It’s hard for LGBTQ2S+ Canadians to be comfortable in a heteronormative workplace. Questioning individuals fear their attire under a new gender identity will be considered unprofessional. LGBTQ2S+ people want their colleagues to see them as more than just sexual orientation or gender identity.

We’re proud to support normalizing diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity at work, marking an important departure from heteronormative culture. The “Free to be me” campaign at the Government of Canada is a great initiative, just like Instagram displaying personal pronouns next to user names.

How can I take action?

• Use our Pride Zoom background for your video calls
• Add your pronouns to your screen name in your email signature and social media profiles
• Add your personal pronouns to your work email signature
• Donate to a local LGBTQ2S+ organization in your community

Significant progress has been made, yet the struggle continues. Within our union, the public service and across the country, we have work to do to fight stigma, stop harassment and build the welcoming and inclusive environments everyone deserves.

Trivia contest winners

Congratulations to Larisa and Michael for winning our Pride Trivia contest!

After leaving a series of hints and clues on our Facebook page, PIPSC members joined a virtual trivia contest on July 27 and 28, 2021. Canadian Labour Congress Vice-President Larry Rousseau was our featured guest host.

Shop from Canadian LGBTQ2S+ merchants

Contest winners took home $250 Etsy gift cards, and are encouraged to support Canadian LGBTQ2S+ merchants in the Etsy virtual marketplace.

1. GRRRL Spells (Toronto, ON) – A queer non-binary & POC owned shop that specializes in queer art and accessories
2. little rainbow paper co (Calgary, AB) – Hand-drawn original digital and watercolour art produced on LGBT cards and prints
3. Yas Petit Poulet (Montreal, QC) – LGBT+ owned small business with the slogan “where pride meets art meets science,” with products focused on exploring queer identities through the lens of science
4. L’Amour Propre (Toronto, ON) – Queer and sex-positive accessories, including key tags, pins, pet tags and other custom and engraved products
5. NeebingAndMary (Canada) – Queer flags, pop culture, and protest swag
6. YasakwDesigns (Haida Gwaii) – LGBTQ2S+ Indigenous owned clothing and accessories
7. Lovestruckprints (Montreal, QC) – Clothing, accessories, illustration and cute stuff screen printed in Montreal
8. WerksByAshley (Windsor, ON) – Pop culture-inspired illustrations and products
9. ShatteringTheCeiling (Montreal, QC) – Shattering the norms by making fun, sassy and inclusive art
10. HandandThistleShop (Toronto, ON) – Beautiful boho-chic crafts to make your space cozy

Public Service Pride 

Members of the federal public service are encouraged to join Public Service Pride, happening from August 23 to August 27, 2021. Learn more.

We are heartbroken by the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a mass grave at a former residential school in British Columbia. It is an unthinkable number, and represents the unmitigated and profound injustice inflicted upon Indigenous families in this country, which remains unresolved.

Children often faced physical, sexual and emotional abuse in these residential schools. Thousands died of disease and severe neglect.

These children never made it home to their families. They were often buried in unmarked graves like the ones found in Kamloops, and their parents were never told what happened. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) estimates that over 4,000 children died in these schools, we don’t know the actual number because deaths went undocumented. We also don’t know where other burial sites might be because so few are officially documented and even fewer maintained. 

This is why we support the calls from Indigenous leaders and the TRC report for the federal government to create an online registry of residential school burials, and to work with impacted groups to develop a plan for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance and commemoration of burial sites. The TRC requested $1.5 million in funding to search for unmarked graves in 2009, but that funding was denied by the federal government. It’s time for this funding to come through.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and anyone affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, and this year, PIPSC members across the country are mobilized for change.

As Canadian public service professionals, it’s important to recognize that Canada has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. We’re actively engaging in reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. And we’ll explore the issues that Indigenous peoples face in the workplace with an eye-opening webinar.

This year, we’re being mindful of the land we’re on, in respect of Indigenous peoples. We’re going to learn about Indigenous traditions, languages and art.

5 reasons that motivate us to take action for reconciliation

1. According to the language vitality criteria set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at least 87 Indigenous languages in Canada are at risk of disappearing. The government must step up to support Indigenous language revitalization projects.
2. Although the federal government committed to end drinking-water advisories in First Nations reserves by 2021, the timeline has now been postponed until 2026. Considering the essential nature of clean drinking water, this delay is unacceptable to both Parliamentarians and Indigenous leaders.
3. Inuit across Nunavut are suffering from a severely underfunded Nunavut Housing Corporation. Housing is a human right and the government must intervene to resolve this health and housing crisis.
4. Systemic discrimination is still rampant in our country’s police system, with Indigenous people being 10 times more likely to be shot and killed by a police officer than a white person. We all have a role to play to end systemic racism.
5. Truth and Reconciliation Report recommendations are still not fully implemented.

5 reasons we’re inspired by the activism of Indigenous community leaders

1. The National Association of Friendship Centres is expanding their service offering, creating community hubs for Indigenous people everywhere.
2. Indigenous Health Centres are offering traditional healing services throughout the country.
3. Territorial acknowledgements are becoming more commonplace. It’s important to remember that settlers displaced Indigenous communities to build our cities and towns, and that we can work to make amends.
4. Canada has finally apologized to Inuit communities for forced relocations, family separation and sled dog killings imposed on Inuit from 1950 to 1975.
5. Arctic fashion is hitting the international stage at New York and Paris runways, bringing attention to northern Indigenous communities.

Take action

• Make a donation to the Legacy of Hope Foundation that has stepped up to provide services where governments continue to fail.
• Read President Debi Daviau’s statement on the discovery of the bodies of 215 Indigenous children at the site of the former Kamloops Residential School.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR                                     TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Register for the June 29 webinar with                                           Local love
Senator Kim Pate and Mocassin Joe                                            CAUT                                    
                                                                                                      

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY EVENTS                             FRIENDSHIP CENTRES

Quebec: Kahnawake Pow Wow                                                   National Association of Friendship Centres

              Gesgapegiag Pow Wow                                                 Wabano Centre

Ontario: Wikwemikong Pow Wow                                                Native Montreal

Nunavut: Rankin Inlet Square Dance competition

National: Indigenous Day Live                

On May 13, 2021, PIPSC President Debi Daviau appeared before the Senate Committee on Social Affairs (SOCI) to provide our feedback on how changes to certain provisions of Bill C-30, the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, may help eliminate the barriers that affect equity-seeking groups in the federal public service.

Our overall position is that the proposed changes represent an improvement on the existing Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) by recognizing the impact of biases and barriers on the selection and promotion of candidates from equity-seeking groups.

In late January, we participated in a National Joint Council Employment Equity Committee consultation on this issue, where we outlined a number of our concerns:

• we don’t have a lot of confidence in federal staffing processes
• the delegation of staffing authority to local managers has played a key role in creating the barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion our members encounter today
• the system pits employees against employees
• our members are frustrated about how positions are staffed and how promotions are handed out
• the “right fit” is often used to exclude better qualified candidates
• acting appointments are made and extended without any rationale through non-advertised processes

Decisive and immediate action must be taken to finally create a federal workplace that reflects the people of Canada and their values. The representation of equity-seeking groups in the federal workplace can’t improve in the current context. It’s time to stop putting in band-aid solutions to this critical problem.

When the Treasury Board created new discriminatory guidelines around the use of “Other leave without pay” code 699, we pushed back. You shouldn’t be forced to choose between work or caring for your children and loved ones. In exceptional circumstances, you may be unable to work due to school or daycare closures, equipment failure, or family obligations.

Although use of the special leave code has drastically declined since the beginning of the pandemic, the members who need code 699 the most were left out with the new guidelines. Our research demonstrates that women are disproportionately impacted, and we’ve filed a grievance on their behalf.

President Debi Daviau hosted this interactive webinar for International Women’s Day to discuss the impacts of code 699, how we can take action, and the ongoing struggle for adequate care leave for women public service professionals.

If you need assistance with your code 699 request, use our COVID-19 help form.