The government is planning legislation to ensure greater diversity and inclusion in the federal public service, including at the highest administrative levels.

Racism, discrimination and lack of action are nothing new to many federal public service employees. A long-standing history of alienation among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) public servants needs to be recognized and addressed.

The Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) has just published its audit report on employment equity representation in recruitment. The report reviewed the representation of employment equity groups at 5 key stages of the recruitment process: job application, automated screening, organizational screening, assessment and appointment. 

Its key findings are:

• The representation rate of Indigenous candidates decreased at the assessment stage

• The representation rate of persons with disabilities decreased at the assessment and appointment stages

• The representation rate of visible minority groups declined at the organizational screening and assessment stages

• Of the visible minority sub-groups examined in the audit, Black candidates experienced a greater drop in representation than members of other visible minority groups, both at the organizational screening stage and at the assessment stage

The audit provides 3 recommendations: 

• Deputy Heads should review their staffing framework and practices to ensure barrier-free appointment processes for all employment equity groups, including visible minority sub-groups

• The PSC should work with other central agencies and employment equity groups to identify specific factors that impact the success of employment equity groups and visible minority sub-groups within the hiring process, and to implement solutions

• The PSC should increase its efforts in developing and promoting systems, tools and guidance that support inclusive external recruitment processes, with a focus on the development of barrier-free assessment approaches

We have written to Clerk of the Privy Council Ian Shugart – the Head of Canada’s public service – on how to advance Diversity and Inclusion in the federal public service. He had recently sent an important memo to senior public service leaders directing them to take action on this issue.

While we welcome this long-overdue initiative, this is not the first time senior public service leaders have introduced similar projects. These have had little or no impact on public service demographics, which still do not reflect those of Canada.

Past initiatives such as the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, spearheaded by the Treasury Board, have included significant contributions from PIPSC and other union representatives. Unfortunately, these have made only limited progress since they were first introduced.

Going forward, we would like to ensure the timely introduction and implementation of Diversity and Inclusion recommendations, including the allocation of sufficient resources.

It is critical to institutionalize such work and ensure its continuation after the individuals involved have moved on. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Treasury Board and individual government departments to develop a framework that will once and for all address the structural problems that contribute to D & I problems in the recruitment and overall staffing of Canada’s public service.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the historical achievements of Black Canadians while acknowledging the many inequalities they face.

As labour leaders, we must take action to combat anti-Black racism. We must foster environments where Black Canadian workers can thrive in their workplaces and in everyday life.

This Black History Month, join PIPSC for a look into the realities faced by Black Canadians.

Watch the Black Canadians in leadership roles: challenges, opportunities and successes webinar that aired February 18.

A number of present and former Black federal public servants have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Treasury Board for anti-Black discrimination.

We stand in solidarity with these Black workers and all Black public servants. 

“We know that Black public service professionals experience discrimination at work and that’s why we support the objectives of this lawsuit and any other action that seeks justice and equity for Black federal public servants” said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. “I have instructed our legal counsel to reach out to the counsel for this lawsuit and explore how our union may be able to support this effort to end systemic anti-Black discrimination in the Federal public service.”

The class-action lawsuit argues that Black federal public servants experience systemic discrimination and specifically are excluded from career advancement and promotions. 

The lawsuit seeks damages, the implementation of a Diversity and Promotional Plan for Black Public Service Employees related to the hiring and promotion of Black employees within the public service and new policy that would require the number of Black employees to reflect the percentage of Black people in the population, at a minimum. The lawsuit also asks for a compensation fund to address the psychological suffering and financial losses of past and present Black employees.

In 2017, the federal government released “Building a Diverse and Inclusive Public Service,” the final report of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion. PIPSC actively participated in the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, which consulted with over 12,000 public servants and invested over a year in drafting its report. The government has yet to implement the recommendations of the task force. 

“The federal government has acknowledged that systemic racism is prevalent in Canadian society and within government institutions, but it has yet to take action on the recommendations of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion,” said Daviau. “It’s time to end anti-Black discrimination in the government’s own hiring and promoting practices.”

The PIPSC Human Rights and Diversity Committee held an anti-Black racism webinar on September 30, 2020. The event was opened by Jennie Esnard, PIPSC NCR Regional Director and Chair of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee, and moderated by the PIPSC Education staff.

The panelists were:

• Emilie Nicolas, award-winning Human Rights advocate and anthropologist
• Larry Rousseau, Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress

Participants got a sense of how anti-Black racism impacts Black families throughout Canada. We were reminded of the importance of listening to Black voices who speak up about injustice, and combating systemic racism in our institutions by standing up and demanding change. 

A rich question and answer period ensued. 

Watch the video recording of the session below. 

You may need to disconnect from the employer’s VPN to view the video, or try accessing the page from a personal device. 

Have questions about how to combat anti-Black racism in your workplace? Contact the PIPSC Black caucus.

As the PIPSC Vice-President responsible for the implementation of the Canadian Psychological Health Standard in our members’ workplaces, I encourage you to attend the upcoming Canada School of Public Service webinar, Bill C-65 and Its Impact on Workplace Harassment, Violence and Safety, which will be held on November 16^th from 1:30 pm to 3pm (Eastern).

Register for this important virtual event and don’t miss this excellent learning opportunity for members at all levels and occupations.

In these challenging times, our mental health must remain a priority. Be sure to look after yourself or reach out if you need help!  

Norma Domey
Vice-President, PIPSC

Our union and our members’ employers must actively seek systemic change, foster inclusion for Black members, and build the capacity of anti-racist allies.

In May 2020, police in the United States killed George Floyd which triggered global protests in support of Black Lives Matter movements. The American experience forced a similar recognition of anti-Black racism in Canada. There is now a renewed focus that has encouraged organizations to proactively fight anti-Black racism.

PIPSC is taking up this call, with the leadership of the Black Caucus, a sub-committee of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

The Black Caucus envisions an anti-racist PIPSC and anti-racist employers.

The Black Caucus will lead and implement strategies for combating anti-Black racism at PIPSC and with our employers by advising the Human Rights and Diversity Committee on issues and policies that directly relate to anti-Black racism. It will work toward advancing equity for Black members through identifying and eliminating barriers to create environments for members to reach their full potential.

Black Caucus short-term objectives are:

• develop a three-year strategic plan in line with broader PIPSC’s strategy and the Human Rights and Diversity Committee’s work
• advance research, programs, and policies to facilitate the full participation of Black members in PIPSC union activities
• align and centralize existing work on anti-Black racism in the federal public service (research projects, committees, advisory boards) into a centrally accessible and connected mechanism or network

Black Caucus long-term objectives are:

• lead and implement policies and programs to support PIPSC Black members in their union and workplace
• engage with anti-racist allies to build capacity across the union and within workplaces

Jennie Esnard, PIPSC NCR Executive Director and Human Rights and Diversity Committee Chair says, “We should be leaders, working proactively to end anti-Black racism in our union and our workplaces”. She said “I’m proud to have worked with Din Kamaldin and Samah Henein to spearhead this initiative and I am proud to receive the full support of our union. I want Black members to be heard and lead our work to end anti-Black racism.”

Black members will be invited to participate as members of the Black Caucus by submitting an application (soon to be available) to the Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

We are proud to have participated in the CLC’s first Indgenous Lobby Day in April 2019. While this event isn’t possible this year, you can listen to our own Greg Scriver speak on its impact and importance.

Greg co-led this event and was interviewed recently on CBC Unreserved’s From the House to the Red Chamber: How Indigenous people make their voices heard on Parliament Hill.

LISTEN TO GREG (minute 30:00)

This event was an important part of moving forward with truth and reconciliation – a key opportunity for Indigenous people and allies from coast to coast to coast to speak directly with elected officials.
Advocates called for the federal government:

• to take action on Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls
• to ensure clean drinking water
• to create a national registry for survivors of residential schools
• and to make September 30 a national holiday for education on residential schools and Truth and Reconciliation

Advocates brought attention and awareness to these issues, shared their own lived experiences and directly impacted our elected officials.

On June 21 we will mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, an occasion for us all to celebrate the cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Summer Solstice is the time of year when many Indigenous groups celebrate their culture and heritage. It’s an opportunity to deepen our understanding and awareness of the unique adversities that Indigenous Peoples face and have overcome.

We encourage you to take action at home now to support Indigenous Peoples:

• Research whose land you are on: the Whose Land tool will show you which colonized land you are occupying.
• Support Indigenous businesses and services: find a local business where you can shop online or in person, following social distancing rules.
• Attend virtual National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations: with family, friends and colleagues, check out summersolsticefestivals.ca for some great ideas.
• Research Indigenous Peoples history and cultures: learn about their unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

Canada has committed to a process of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, this requires that we all do our part.

If you’d like to learn more please contact Greg Scriver, Canadian Labour Congress Indigenous Representative at gscriver@pipsc.ca.

Each year on March 20, we join with francophones around the world to celebrate the importance, beauty and diversity of the French language and cultures!

As an organization representing thousands of French-speaking public servants, we strongly support a worker’s right to work in their language of choice. And we continue to advocate for language training in the federal public service.

In our recent submission on the proposed changes to the Official Languages Act, we advocate for:

• the protection of both official languages, as well as indigenous languages
• the rights of all workers to work in their official language of choice
• the obligation to provide services in designated government offices in both official languages
• the reopening of the Bilingualism Bonus Directive to better support the use of both official languages amongst federal government employees

We are, however, concerned that:

• the federal government is failing to uphold bilingualism by not properly funding language training
• tools used for the daily activities are not always available in both official languages
• inequality in the evaluation of the second language abilities and language requirements on positions are leading to problems
• lack of a coordinated, well-funded language strategy for the federal public service is having a negative impact on our members’ career opportunities

We are committed to not only celebrating, but protecting and fighting for the French language in Canada! In its diversity and richness - On célèbre le français!

Our Task Force on Official Languages leads this important work and they welcome any questions or comments at gtlo_tfol@pipsc.ca.

In February 2020, the Auditor General released a report that found significant levels of harassment, discrimination and workplace violence at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Correctional Service Canada (CSC) workplaces.

These concerning findings require immediate action from CBSA and CSC. We insist that the recommendations of this report be implemented now.

No strategy for harassment, discrimination and violence

Neither organization has a strategy to address harassment, discrimination and violence in the workplace. There is no framework to measure and report on harassment, discrimination and workplace violence. Employers are unable to effectively track or monitor these issues.

Inconsistent treatment of complaints

Harassment, discrimination and workplace violence complaints are handled poorly and inconsistently:

• employees are not always informed about informal dispute resolution mechanisms
• the employers do not always evaluate complaints before deciding if they will be accepted or dismissed

The complaint process is based on inconsistent decision-making and is vulnerable to personal bias. The Auditor General found workplace violence complaints that had not been investigated by the employer and had received no initial assessment.

No action taken to end harassment, discrimination and violence

For two years, CBSA has had a communication plan on its informal conflict management system and a respectful workplace strategy – which has not been implemented. CSC has completed assessments in 18 of 148 workplaces to develop a strategy in each unit, leaving 130 units without an assessment or strategy. A CSC department-wide respectful workplace campaign has been launched but without a strategy or measures to monitor the effectiveness of this work, it is impossible to track.

CBSA and CSC, like all federal employers, are obligated to provide their employees with respectful workplaces.

Neither CBSA or CSC have met their obligation to provide a respectful workplace.

In our 2019 round of central bargaining with the Treasury Board, we won historic language on harassment. For the first time in the Canadian public service, our collective agreements enshrine the right of a worker to a workplace free of harassment and violence.

We are building on this significant win and pushing the Treasury Board to end harassment, discrimination and violence in all workplaces. We demand safe and healthy workplaces for all. We demand the immediate implementation of all Auditor General recommendations from this report.

Auditor General report recommendations:

1. CBSA and CSC should develop and implement comprehensive strategies to address harassment, discrimination and workplace violence. Each strategy should be based on risks and be supported by action plans with clear accountabilities and performance monitoring for continual improvement.
2. CBSA and CSC should always inform employees of informal processes available for resolving complaints of harassment and workplace violence.
3. CBSA and CSC should complete and document the results of their analyses to support decisions when handling harassment, discrimination and workplace violence complaints

Our members at CBSA and CSC are dedicated to their work and deserve safe and healthy workplaces as well as employers that take these obligations seriously.

We know that compounding this is understaffing in these agencies. PIPSC President Debi Daviau and Steward Éric Massey, Nurse at the Archambault Institution in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec made this clear to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. Understaffing at CSC has left our members who provide healthcare especially vulnerable to workplace violence. This must be corrected.