On March 29, 2022, President Carr, accompanied by PIPSC staff specialists Richard Gaboton and Sara Delaney, appeared before the government’s Task Force reviewing the Employment Equity Act.
The Employment Equity Act was intended to promote fairness, equality and access in federally-regulated workplaces by identifying and removing systemic barriers to participation and promotion for marginalized groups. We believe employment equity is an important tool to identify and eliminate systemic barriers for workers who face discrimination. It complements the collective bargaining and consultation processes to ensure fairness and equity at work.
After highlighting our ongoing work on this issue, President Carr outlined our concerns, analysis and recommendations to the Task Force about staffing and employment equity in the public service.
President Carr’s remarks called out the lack of timely and effective action from the employer on racism and discrimination in the public service. This is nothing new to many federal public service employees. A long-standing history of alienation among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) public servants need to be recognized and addressed.
The representation of equity-seeking groups in the federal workplace cannot improve in the current context. The Federal Government must take decisive and immediate action to finally create a federal workplace that is diverse and inclusive.
We are currently working on a second submission to the Task Force that will provide additional details regarding our members’ experiences and concerns on this critical matter.