Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world to commemorate the proclamation of “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948.

The UDHR is a milestone in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, it sets out a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations.

For the first time it recognized that fundamental human rights – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status – must be universally protected.

Women shaped the Declaration

Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady for the United States, served as the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the UDHR. Many other women also played an important role and these include Begum Shaista Ikramullah (Pakistan), Bodil Begtrup (Denmark), Evdokia Uralova (Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic), Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux (France), Minerva Bernardino (Dominican Republic), and Hansa Mehta and Lakshmi Menon (India).

Youth stand up for human rights

This year, we are called to "Stand Up for Human Rights" and to celebrate the potential of youth as agents of change, amplify their voices and engage a broad range of global audiences in the promotion and protection of rights. This year's campaign is designed to encourage, galvanize and showcase how youth all over the world stand up for rights and against racism, hate speech, bullying, discrimination, and climate change.

Your Human Rights & Diversity Committee

PIPSC is actively involved in protecting and promoting the human rights of its members and has established a Human Rights & Diversity Committee, to advise the Board of Directors on human rights, employment equity as well as diversity and inclusion. Learn more about their work in the Human Rights & Diversity Committee Report.

"The UDHR empowers us all. The principles remain as relevant or more today. We must stand up for our own rights and those of others every day. I encourage you to champion human rights in our workplace." encouraged Waheed Khan, PIPSC Chair of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

Read the PIPSC Pocket Guide on Human Rights and be a champion of human rights in your workplace. Take part online using #HumanRights and #StandUp4HumanRights on social media.

Unions across Canada have joined together to call for a national child care plan.

We are calling the federal government to make affordable high-quality early learning and child care available to all families. This will grow our economy, promote gender equality, increase women’s labour force participation and enhance children’s well-being.

National child care is a tried and tested policy that is long overdue in Canada.

All children – regardless of where they live, their ability, family circumstance or culture ­­– deserve access to affordable high-quality child care.

Child care in Canada is underfunded, too expensive and hard to find. The financial burden on families and the losses to our economy are too great to ignore – we need child care for all, now!

Take action today:

Sign the petition

The Department of Employment and Social Development is considering amending the labour code to provide menstruation products in federal workplaces. This would benefit about 480,000 public service workers.

Currently, under Part II of the Canadian Labour Code an employer is required to provide supplies including toilet paper, soap, warm water and a means to dry hands. This proposed change would add pads and tampons to this list.

Menstruation products are a basic necessity and essential to the health of women and people that menstruate. We responded to the federal government’s notice of intent and made clear that we support having a variety of menstrual products available in federally regulated and federal government workplaces.

Read our submission

We agree that menstrual products such as pads and tampons are essential to the health of Canadians, allowing them to participate fully in the workforce and society. Including menstrual products in workplaces is a concrete action that the federal government can take to move toward gender equity. Providing these supplies will decrease the menstruation stigma that is pervasive in our society and support better health outcomes.

It will take 18 to 24 months to complete the regulatory process of changing the Canada Labour Code, well beyond the federal election expected this October. This decision will be made by the next parliament.

On June 18, 2019, PIPSC President Debi Daviau had the honour of addressing members of the Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC), an organization dedicated to combatting career obstacles in the public service such as racism, harassment, and under-representation.

Black employees, and other visible minorities, continue to face barriers after being hired in the public service, even though the educational qualifications of visible minorities are often higher than those of the average population.

That’s why PIPSC is proud of the fact that some outstanding visible minority candidates were recently elected to its Board of Directors. In particular, we saw the first Black woman elected to the Board, NCR Regional Director Jennie Esnard, and the first Black woman elected to the PIPSC Executive in its almost 100 year history, Vice-President Norma Domey.

The inclusion of underrepresented groups in the PIPSC leadership structure ensures that decisions, strategies, projects and member engagement reflect the needs of all our members.

The Institute values the diversity of the Canadian population and the unique talents and strengths that are inherent in a diverse workforce. Diversity makes our union stronger and we will continue to work toward increased active involvement and improved representation of visible minorities in Institute leadership roles. If we do not reflect our workplaces and communities, we will not survive as a union.

We are committed to working with our employers to create workplaces that are inclusive and barrier free. As a union, we have an active role to play in identifying and removing barriers that prevent any member from fully participating in all workplace activities and fulfilling their personal and professional dreams.

One key strategy pursued by PIPSC to achieve these objectives was to actively participate 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. NCR Regional Director Waheed Khan was co-chair of its Technical Committee.

The Task Force provided 44 recommendations to promote diversity and inclusion in the public service. We need to ensure, however, that this important report doesn’t just gather dust on a shelf. PIPSC is keeping a close eye on developments on this front, and was pleased when the government announced the establishment of a Centre of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness, which is similar to the Centre of Excellence recommended by the Task Force. The Institute will be happy to work with the Treasury Board to ensure that the proposed Centre is action-oriented and that all employees, particularly Black employees, benefit from tangible results.

In addition, PIPSC supports the key “Asks” that the FBEC has identified.

We agree that data gaps must be filled and that a support network be created permitting Black community members to accomplish their professional goals, i.e. to obtain senior government positions.

We also believe that the federal government should assign Champions in each of its Departments.

And of course that the federal government show respect for the International Decade for People of African Descent.

We have communicated our support for this Caucus’ objectives in a letter to Treasury Board President Joyce Murray. 

The recent adoption in Québec of Bill 21, which is ostensibly aimed at imposing “secularism” on the province’s public service and on the people who receive them, is a disgrace and a blatant violation of civil liberties and basic human rights. The law should immediately be repealed.

While current employees have been given some exemptions, the law prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by new public servants in positions of “authority”, such as teachers and police officers.

Not only does this law create two classes of pubIic servants, it violates unionized workers’ collective agreements by permitting discrimination based on prohibited grounds. Worse, it can only lead to further isolation and marginalisation of visible minorities in the province.

Canadians know that legal cover does not legitimize systemic discrimination of minorities on one pretext or another. That is why Canada has acknowledged the dark chapters in our history and has apologized for the Residential Schools of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the head tax on Chinese immigrants under the Chinese Immigration Act (1885), the turning away of the Komagata Maru with 376 South Asians in 1914 and the internment of Canadians of Japanese origin in the 1940s. In the 21^st Century, Canada can ill afford to enact and implement a regressive and discriminatory law like Bill 21 that targets Canadians of Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faiths, who are guaranteed the freedom of practicing their religion and culture by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As a staunch supporter of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), PIPSC applauds the campaign led by progressive organisations and labour unions who refuse to accept second-class citizenship for thousands of individuals across the cultural and religious spectrum.

Canada’s unions are expressing solidarity with advocates in the United States who are fighting to protect reproductive rights.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) commits to protecting our own hard-won gains and to fill the gaps in access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada, including abortion.

We can’t take abortion rights in Canada for granted. There is an alarming and well-funded effort by anti-choice groups in Canada to elect politicians who support restrictions on reproductive health services and rights. As members of the CLC, we will resist any attempt to take us backwards and support the efforts to improve access.

Canada’s unions have a deep and longstanding commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Unions and labour activists joined the call to decriminalize birth control and abortion in the 60s and 70s. Since the 1988 Morgentaler decision, the labour movement has worked with feminist organizations and other allies to resist attempts to introduce new restrictions to abortion rights and access.

Canada’s unions have long called for public coverage of medical procedures and medication to allow people to decide whether and when to have children, promote maternal health, affirm their gender identity, and meet other sexual and reproductive health care needs. They have also called for better access to abortion services in regions where it remains difficult to obtain sexual and reproductive health care. Unions continue to support comprehensive sexuality education, access to health care for trans people, and protections for pregnant people in unsafe working conditions.

Access to abortion services remains a problem, especially in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, for young people, for those with precarious immigration status or who don’t have the means to travel. In some provinces, like New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island such services are virtually non-existent on account of provincial policies that restrict access or impose limits on funding. The lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care and rights has disproportionate impacts on people who experience various forms of marginalization, such as Indigenous women, Black and racialized women, women with disabilities, trans and non-binary folk, immigrant, migrant and refugee women.

Canada’s unions will not tolerate any attempt to roll back abortion rights.

This Indigenous History Month marks the release of Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Over three years the National Inquiry held Truth Gatherings where families and survivors shared their experiences with violence, their recommendations and their art in 1,484 testimonies. The commissioners also gathered information on institutionalized violence along with testimony from experts, Elders and knowledge keepers.

We, along with the Canadian Labour Congress, call for immediate action to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people.

We insist upon the implementation of the National Inquiry’s recommendations.

We continue our call for the federal legislature to pass Bill C-262 this session and ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

And, we ask our members to take action now on the Calls for Justice for All Canadians, to learn the true history of Canada and to become informed and active allies to Indigenous Peoples.

Suggested Resources for Learning:

• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Our Women and Girls Are Sacred: The Interim Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Women and Girls.
• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Their Voices Will Guide Us: Student and Youth Engagement Guide.
• Transcripts, testimonies, and public statements offered during the Truth-Gathering Process, available at http://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/transcripts/ and http://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/part-ii-and-part-iii-knowledge-keeper-expert-and-institutional-hearing-transcripts/.
• Canadian Labour Congress. Indigenous Lobby Guide.

Suggested Resources for Allyship:

• Amnesty International. 10 Ways to Be a Genuine Ally to Indigenous Communities.
• Dr. Lynn Gehl. Ally Bill of Responsibilities.
• Indigenous Perspectives Society. How to Be an Ally to Indigenous People.
• Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network. Indigenous Ally Toolkit.

National Indigenous History Month is an opportunity to honour Indigenous heritage and celebrate Indigenous contributions and cultures across this land.

PIPSC President Debi Daviau, BC/Yukon Regional Director Rob MacDonald and CLC Indigenous Representative Greg Scriver will be participating in the Whitehorse APTN Indigenous Day Live event on Saturday June 22, 2019.

WATCH LIVE

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) is also hosting live events in Whitehorse, Winnipeg and Calgary.

We encourage all members to take action in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples:

• read the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
• send a letter to your Senator supporting Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• learn about the efforts of the Canadian labour movement to work as allies to Indigenous people
• educate yourself on Canada’s history and how to become an ally.

It is Pride Month and we are ready to celebrate!

The labour movement has an important role to play in continuing to fight for the rights of LGBTQ2+ people. From ending the blood ban and ensuring healthcare for transgender people to establishing Pharmacare and negotiating collective agreement language that includes everyone ­— there is still work to do.

PIPSC marches in solidarity with LGBTQ2+ communities across the world. Members will be out marching in cities across the country throughout the Pride season.

You can join us in:

• Regina
• Hamilton
• Victoria
• Charlottetown
• Montreal
• Ottawa
• Calgary

If you’d like to organize a group of PIPSC members to march in your community, please let us know! We can provide support and promote your event.

ORGANIZE A PRIDE EVENT

Take this opportunity, as folks in the LGBTQ2+ community and as allies, to celebrate and keep fighting!

Learn more about our Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

From May 26 to June 1, 2019, let’s celebrate National AccessAbility Week!

PIPSC is committed to working with our members and employers to create workplaces that are inclusive and barrier free. As proud PIPSC members, every one of us has a role to play in actively identifying and removing barriers that prevent any member from fully participating in all workplace activities and fulfilling their personal and professional dreams.

We value the diversity of the Canadian population and the unique talents and strengths that are inherent in a diverse workforce. It is a time to make a commitment to promote accessibility and inclusion in our workplace, and celebrate the talents and contributions of our members with disabilities.

Please do not hesitate to contact me, or any member of the HR&DC if you have any suggestions to making our workplaces more accessible and inclusive!

In solidarity,

Waheed Khan

Chair, HRDC

Director, NCR