HRDC Meeting Minutes - March 24-25, 2023

PIPSC HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE (HRDC)

MEETING #1 (HYBRID), PIPSC HQ and Zoom

MARCH 24-25

9:30 AM - 4 PM ET

 

Present:
Jennie Esnard - Chair - NUREG

Malcolm Lewis-Richmond - PA&E Officer - Staff NCR
Jacquie Dixon - Friends of the Committee - AFS 

Farzana Merani - AFS

Binana Madikama - SR

Stacy McLaren - Board Liaison - NCR Regional Director

Din Kamaldin - AFS

Madeeha Choudry - IT

Mary Lycett - AFS

 

Regrets:

Karim Chaggani - Friend of the Committee - IT

 

SCHEDULE – DAY 1

 

9:00 AM Welcome and coffee in the main kitchen

9:30 AM Open meeting and agenda items 1-4

10:30 AM Break (Kitchen)

10:45 AM Agenda item #5

12:00 PM Lunch Break (Kitchen)

1:00 PM Resume meeting with agenda item #6-7

2:30 PM Break (Kitchen)

2:45 PM Agenda items 8-12

4:00 PM Close meeting

 

SCHEDULE – DAY 2

 

9:00 AM Welcome and coffee in the main kitchen

9:30 AM Open meeting with item #13

10:30 AM Break (Kitchen)

12:00 PM Lunch Break (Kitchen)

1:00 PM Resume meeting

2:30 PM Break (Kitchen)

3:30 PM Close meeting

 

 

Item 5.C on agenda - Action Plan & Goal for 2023

 

 

Item 11 on agenda - Equity caucus event at AGM - Campaign plan

 

Goals and objectives

● Provide a platform for the equity caucuses to showcase their top issues to all PIPSC

members as part of the newly-extended national AGM.

● Offer training and learning opportunities to members volunteering on equity caucuses.

● Renew the equity caucus strategic plans

● Establish the caucuses as change makers within PIPSC for equity, diversity and

inclusion issues.

● Recruit new volunteers to the PIPSC equity caucuses

Theory of change

● If we can create a forum for equity caucuses to build solidarity, and offer a platform for

equity caucuses to showcase their issues through conferences, workshops and

trainings, PIPSC members will acknowledge the high potential for impact of equity

caucuses within the union, and will value the equity caucuses as valuable committees

within PIPSC.

 

Audience

● For the strategic planning workshops: equity caucus volunteers, regional Human Rights

and Diversity representatives from regional constituent bodies, and national Human

Rights and Diversity Committee members

● Fence-sitting PIPSC members who are unsure about the usefulness of equity caucuses

● AGM delegates seeking more training opportunities.

● Younger members who are looking to see their union push for and support more topical

and political issues.

 

Tactics

● Hold a teambuilding and solidarity activity for all equity caucus volunteers

● Hold an equity, diversity and inclusion workshop or conference opening hosted by

external partners, open to all AGM participants (delegates and observers)

● Have a unifying introduction keynote speech and a motivating closing speech

● Operate a booth to process new volunteer sign ups and give out promotional materials

(swag.

• Informally find ways to conduct strategic planning workshops for the equity caucuses

(i.e. during a meal, or as part of an evening gathering)

● Organize a live stream or video recording for members unable to travel, or a possible

hybrid option in collaboration with the AGM taskforce

 

Resources/support

 

Mobilization

● Organize strategic planning workshop

● Recruit facilitator and notetakers for strategic planning workshops

● Organize opening and closing speeches

● Organize all-member EDI workshops

● Work with caucus chairs to develop mobilization plans in each region to maximize

attendance to the forum

● Prepare participant packages

● Work with facilitators to write strategic plans following the workshops.

 

Communications

● Create web post with workshop program

● Prepare slide deck for workshop

● Design and order participant twin-pocket folders design

● Prepare MC speaking notes

● Write motivating email to all participants

● Write motivating email to all organizers + speakers

● Support speakers from PIPSC (President, HRDC Chair) develop speaking notes

● Support closing speech for PIPSC President and HRDC Chair

 

Ladder of engagement

● Member - n/a

● Supporter - attend one of the all-member events

● Volunteer prospect - sign up to volunteer with a PIPSC equity caucus

● Volunteer - attend equity caucus strategic planning session.

● Leader prospect -recruit volunteers to attend the equity caucus symposium.

● Leader - facilitate or animate a session at the equity caucus symposium.

 

Engagement targets

● Member - n/a

● Supporter - 300

● Volunteer prospect - 200

● Volunteer - 150

● Leader prospect - 10

● Leader - 3

 

AGM Committee / Corporate Services / Membership

● Approve and organize room bookings

● Create Cvent registration pages

● Book simultaneous interpretation

● Book catering

● Prepare lanyards and name badges

● Prepare signage and wayfinding at the event venue

● Ensure maximum event accessibility in collaboration with the disability caucus

 

Timeline

 

[February 2023]

● Approve campaign plan

● Approve concept with AGM committee

● Establish parameters such as budget, duration, type of speakers desired, etc.

 

March 2023

● Finalize event concept and format

● Confirm AGM committee buy-in and support

● Explore possible speakers/panelists/presentations

 

April 2023

● Build regional outreach plans with caucus chairs

● Confirm speakers/panelists/presentations with dates and times

● Explore possible MC

 

May 2023

● Push participant recruitment

● Identify strategic planning facilitators and notetakers

● Confirm MC

 

June 2023

● Push participant recruitment

● Finalize strategic planning workshop content

 

July 2023

● Finalize participant recruitment

 

August 2023

● Create symposium slide deck

● Create MC speaking notes

● Publish symposium web page (programme)

 

September 2023

● Confirm MC speaking notes, presentation content and speakers, strategic planning

content and speakers

 

October 2023

● Hold dress rehearsal meeting

● Send pre-event email to all stakeholders involved on the organizing side

● Send pre-event email to participants

 

November 2023

● Hold event

 

Item 12 on agenda: Black class-action lawsuit - Campaign Proposal/work plan

 

Goals and objectives

● Demonstrate that PIPSC supports equitable career development for Black public

servants

● Demonstrate PIPSC’s allyship and unwavering support to the class-action lawsuit

● Demonstrate PIPSC’s full support for racialized public servants not covered by the

class-action lawsuit (members covered by our likely PIPSC policy grievance)

● Deepen the engagement of Black members in the union

Theory of change

● If we:

○ run town halls for Black members to share their experience with discrimination in

the public sector, increasing visibility around the issues they face;

○ launch an awareness campaign about the class-action lawsuit;

○ and provide avenues for advocacy around career development & policy change,

● then we:

○ can demonstrate PIPSC's allyship with the class-action lawsuit;

○ support racialized members not covered by the lawsuit with policy

recommendations;

○ and deepen the engagement of Black members in the union.

 

Audience

● Black PIPSC members and racialized PIPSC members (at our town hall meetings)

● Progressive PIPSC members, who will see our advertising and advocacy, who will be

proud of their union for advocating for a marginalized portion of the membership.

● Ottawa political circles (including media figures and politically-minded individuals)

Tactics

● Create a newsletter feature announcing the campaign to all members

● Send an email to all members inviting them to register for a town hall meeting in their

region.

● Host a series of town hall meetings to discuss experiences that Black and racialized

PIPSC members have faced in the workplace, and to support impacted members

designing the next phase of PIPSC actions and advocacy on this file.

● Use the discussion and recommendations from the town hall meetings to develop and

launch a series of other tactics, ie:

○ create policy recommendations based on the discussion and recommendations

in the town hall meetings

○ Advertising, including: a national-level web page to share PIPSC; billboard;

newspaper ads; an op-ed; social media visuals – all of which will demonstrate

support of the class-action lawsuit as well as our policy recommendations to

bring change within PIPSC and within the federal public service.

○ lobby the employer with recommendations about how to improve career

advancement opportunities for Black PIPSC members (write to MPs and

Ministers; attend a Parliamentary Committee meeting; hold a Parliamentary lobby

day)

● Run a small information campaign about the policy grievance (or other parallel

advocacy) PIPSC is conducting for current Black union members including: a web post,

5-10 social media posts, 2-4 social media graphics.

Ladder of engagement (or measurements of success)

● Member - Expresses support for the campaign by reading an email about the campaign

(i.e. open rate)

● Supporter - Attends a town hall meeting

● Volunteer prospect - Makes a recommendation or asks question at town hall meeting

● Volunteer - Mobilizes for or helps plan a town hall meeting

● Leader prospect - Organizes volunteers to join a PIPSC equity caucus following a town

hall meeting

● Leader - Animates a town hall meeting; connects with other union leaders; connects with

class-action lawsuit leaders

 

Engagement targets

● Member - [2000]

● Supporter - [250]

● Volunteer prospect - [30]

● Volunteer - [6]

● Leader prospect - [4]

● Leader - [3]

 

Resources/support Mobilization

 

● Create framework for town hall meetings (agenda, room rental, virtual component,

attendees tracker, etc)

● Organize bi-weekly campaign meetings to bring together all stakeholders involved in

campaign

● Organize regional town hall meetings using the framework created

● Recruit and support an external facilitator with experience in managing challenging

conversations around sensitive topics (such as racism in the workplace) to run the town

hall meetings and support logistics

Communications

● Create initial campaign web page

● Send an email to all members announcing the campaign

● Promote town hall meetings on appropriate channels

● Create advertising campaign to promote recommendations from the town hall meetings

● Publish the op-ed about our recommendations from the town hall meetings

 

Research

 

● Write a report that summarizes the recommendations identified during the town hall meetings

 

Board of directors

 

● Assign spokesperson to town hall meetings

● Approve the costs associated with bringing in a facilitator to manage the town hall events

Black caucus

● Engage with local volunteers

 

Labour Relations

 

● Assign ERO to assist answering questions at the town hall meetings

 

Timeline

 

NOTE: Campaign timeline subject to re-assessment based on class-action lawsuit timelines.

[DECEMBER AND JANUARY 2023]

● Create framework for regional town hall meetings

● Create campaign web page

[FEBRUARY TO JUNE 2023]

● Send email to all members about campaign

● Run regional town hall meetings

[JUNE TO AUGUST 2023]

● Prepare report with recommendations from town hall meeting, suggesting changes

within PIPSC to improve EDI, and within the federal public service.

[AUGUST TO OCTOBER 2023]

● Run advertising campaign to promote the recommendations published in our report

following the series of town hall meetings.

 

Action Items:

 

1. The one year term for Committee’s member is a concern. Everyone to work on a resolution to be presented at the AGM. The resolution needs to be submitted this summer.
2. Din would like to discuss more on Bill 28 (Ontario) and Bill 21 (Quebec) at the next meeting.
3. Marielle to send previous meeting minutes to translation and publish them on the website.
4. Stacy to write a resolution regarding the committee mandate duration.
5. Malcolm to create a campaign plan
6. Malcolm to ask Greg Scriver about the memo to Board of directors for 2024-26 sponsorship request
7. Malcolm to ask the result of the survey about how many people identify in equity seeking groups.
8. Malcolm to propose the equity caucus project task to Taskforce for their review.
9. Malcolm to draft a template for Equity Caucus invitation.
10. Members from Winnipeg to go at IDL and represent PIPSC (June 2023).
11. Stacy to ask the BoD to renew the funding for APTN 2024-26
12. Everyone to recommend someone under 30 and another from an equity seeking groups from their region to attend the CLC.
13.