On Emancipation Day, Workers Rally to Demand Government Action on Discrimination In the Federal Public Service
31 Julio 2024 - 11:00AM
On Emancipation Day, The Black Class Action Secretariat invites
Canadian workers and their allies to rally against discrimination
and anti-Black racism in the public and private sector.
This week, BCAS and its supporting coalition exposed
discrimination at Canada’s Privy Council Office – the head of the
federal public service, and secretary to the Prime Minister and
federal cabinet. In a shocking internal report obtained through the
Access to Information Act, workers described the use of racial
slurs, racial stereotyping, and microaggressions as normalized, and
an office culture that discouraged reporting, and lacked
accountability mechanisms. White staff also detailed
career-advancing opportunities that were in stark contrast to those
of Black, Indigenous, and racialized employees, who were clustered
in temporary and lower-level positions.
This is just the latest evidence of discrimination embedded
within the federal public service. It has also been documented at
the Treasury Board Secretariat, and even the Canadian
Human Rights Commission – the very body that Canadians are supposed
to turn to when they find themselves as victims of discrimination.
The findings of discrimination were so egregious that a
UN-affiliated body is now re-evaluating Canada’s human rights
status.
Enough is enough.
August 1st marks Emancipation Day – when enslaved Indigenous and
Black Peoples in the British Empire were liberated in 1834. We
invite public service workers, elected officials, and the Canadian
public to take a stand with us and fight for justice and equity for
all.
Join us in the streets of Ottawa during your lunch break as we
march from the Human Rights Monument at 220 Elgin St, Ottawa, to
the Privy Council Office. Your support is crucial in making our
voices heard and driving meaningful change.
ON EMANCIPATION DAY, WORKERS RALLY TO DEMAND GOVERNMENT ACTION
ON DISCRIMINATION IN THE FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE
DATE: Thursday August 1, 2024 TIME: 11:45 a.m.LOCATION: Meet at
the Human Rights Monument by Ottawa City Hall and march to the
Privy Council Offices at Elgin and Wellington.SPEAKERS: Nicholas
Marcus Thompson - President and CEO, Black Class Action
Secretariat; Alex Silas - National Executive Vice President, Public
Service Alliance of Canada; Nathan Prier - President, Canadian
Association of Professional Employees: Laurie Antonin - Coalition
of Black Trade Unionists
CONTACT: media@bcas-srcn.org