The Canadian Federal Government has been urged to take immediate action to address anti-Black racism in the Public Service by implementing changes to staffing processes and effective training programs.
The Government pledged in this year’s Budget to make changes to the Public Service Employment Act aimed at promoting a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
One of 12 current and former Black Federal workers who filed a class-action lawsuit in the Federal Court against the Government, Nicholas Marcus Thompson (pictured) said their action was one of the reasons that the Government made these promises.
However, he took issue with a further plan to spend $C285 million ($A300 million) over five years to collect disaggregated data that would help in understanding the experiences of people of colour in Canada.
Mr Thompson said it shouldn’t take the Government five years to collect disaggregated data to understand the under-representation of Black workers in the upper echelons of the Public Service and to take down the barriers they face.
“The time frame is very long and Black workers continue to suffer and show up to work injured every day,” Mr Thompson said.
“There’s a lot of mental health issues associated with the discrimination, the systemic discrimination, that Black workers have faced and continue to face — a lot of racial trauma that Black workers are facing,” he said.
The plaintiffs are alleging systemic discrimination in how the Federal Government has hired and promoted thousands of Public Servants for nearly half a century.
“There’s a glass ceiling at the bottom of the Public Service for Black workers, and the top of the Public Service is reserved for white folks,” Mr Thompson said.
None of the allegations have been tested in court; the plaintiffs are waiting for a certification hearing scheduled for June.
Spokesperson for the Treasury Board, Martin Potvin said it was premature to comment on the lawsuit, but the Government would consider all options, including alternative dispute resolution, as it sought to address the concerns raised.
Ottawa, 4 May 2021
