The Canadian Government continues to pay lip service to ongoing issues of systemic discrimination and racism

BY PAUL JUNOR

There has been evidence presented during the two weeks of hearings in Toronto to the lawyers representing the government. As 2024 comes to an end, there is faith and hope that there will be a favourable outcome. If the lawsuit is certified, it will make a significant impact on the lives of former and current Black public federal service employees.

The petition was started on December 2^nd, 2020, and is directed to: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Anita Anand (President, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat) and Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada). As of Thursday, December 12^th, 2024, there have been 34,409 signatures out of a total of 35,000. The petition noted that it is on behalf of tens of thousands of Black federal public service employees who have faced systemic discrimination and racism at the hands of their employer, the Government of Canada.

The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination and the Michaelle Jean Foundation led by the Black Class Action Secretariat delivered the signatures of the petition to the Prime Minister’s Office located on 80 Wellington Street in Ottawa on Tuesday, February 10^th, 2024 (International Human Rights Day).

The focus of the petition is directly related to the Black Class Action lawsuit. The focus of the lawsuit is on three specific areas in which Black public servants are affected including:

• Barriers to promotion
• Lack of career advancement opportunities
• Pervasive anti-Black racism

The petition focuses on the following:

• Canada’s acknowledgment of systemic racism
• Ongoing discrimination despite acknowledgments
• Government’s failure to act, despite previous settlements

The Facebook post on Monday, December 9^th, 2024, by the Black Class Action Secretariat states, “The fight for justice for Black public service workers is increasing at a critical moment. On December 10^th, 2024, we’ll deliver 35,000 signatures to the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding action on the Black Class Action lawsuit. This petition is a call for equity, accountability, and justice. It’s time for the government to deliver the change Black Canadians deserve.”

The petition calls on the Government of Canada to implement the following four measures in the lawsuit.

• Establishing a new designated category under the Employment Equity Act for Black Canadians to ensure proportional representation and to address the unique challenges faced by Black public servants.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive diversity and equity plan to ensure proportional representation of Black Canadians at all levels of government.
• Creating a Black Equity Commission to monitor, report, and ensure accountability for anti-Black racism within the federal public service.
• Issuing a formal apology from the Prime Minister of Canada for the historic and ongoing discrimination against Black public servants.

Sharon DeSousa, National President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada states, “This government must stop denying justice for thousands of Black workers who have endured systemic racism in our public service. Settling the Black Class Action lawsuit and implementing these long overdue changes to the Employment Equity Act are critical steps to remedy decades of injustices and discrimination for workers.”

Nathan Prier, President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees states, “International Human Rights Day commemorates the global pledge to secure the inalienable rights entitled to every human being, regardless of race, colour, religion, or sex. The Canadian government continues to pay lip service to ongoing issues of systemic discrimination and racism but has failed to make meaningful change that will impact the lives of everyday Canadians.”

Nicholas Marcus Thompson, President and CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat states, “It has been nearly a year to the day when Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan committed to creating a designated category under the Employment Equity Act, and that promise still has not been realized. With a federal election around the corner, all of the progress that has been made through our advocacy work is in jeopardy of being lost. It is imperative that this government see this through.”