Latest news with #BlackClassActionSecretariat
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pay inequality persists for women, minorities in federal public service: report
OTTAWA – While the federal government has made gains on diversity and equity in the public service, inequities persist when it comes to pay, a new Treasury Board report says. Compared with the entire core public service, employees who fall into 'equity groups' — women, Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities and people with disabilities — are more likely to fall into the lower income groups and less likely to be among employees making over $100,000 a year. The Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada report for 2023-24 divides employees into six income groups, starting at those who make less than $50,000 a year and topping out with those who make $150,000 or more a year. The data shows that about one-third of all employees made less than $75,000, including 1.7 per cent who made less than $50,000. But 39 per cent of women — who account for 57 per cent of all employees — made less than $75,000. Almost 35 per cent of Indigenous employees made less than $75,000, as did almost 35 per cent of employees with disabilities and 37 per cent of visible minorities. The report said 46 per cent of Black employees made less than $75,000. With the exception of employees with disabilities, members of identified equity groups were also under-represented at the highest pay levels. The data shows that almost 13 per cent of all public servants made more than $125,000, including 3.6 per cent who made more than $150,000. That compares with 11 per cent of female employees making more than $125,000, 10 per cent of Indigenous employees, 11 per cent of visible minorities, and eight per cent of Black employees. The data shows 14 per cent of employees with disabilities made more than $125,000. The report says employees in equity groups have seen some improvement in pay. Nicholas Marcus Thompson, president and CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, said that while the numbers are going up, 'the story hasn't changed.' 'Racialized workers, including highly qualified Black employees, remain stuck in the lowest-paid roles, while decision-making positions stay out of reach,' he said. 'This isn't a pipeline problem. It's a systemic failure that demands legislative action.' Thompson said the government promised to modernize the Employment Equity Act in December 2023 but no real change has happened in the years since. 'Until the government acts, the status quo will hold and racialized workers will continue to be shut out of positions of power,' Thompson said. 'Change isn't real until it reaches the paycheque.' The report shows that the number of federal government employees across all groups has increased since 2022-23. The number of people in employment equity groups holding executive positions has also increased overall, though their representation is still lower in the higher executive levels. The Canadian Press has reached out to the Treasury Board for comment on the data but has not yet received a response. Nathan Prier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said the salary data is 'disappointing but not surprising.' Prier said the public 'heard very clearly' from Justice Jocelyne Gagné, who earlier this year denied certification for a class-action lawsuit filed by Black public servants alleging discrimination in the public service — but also acknowledged the existence of widespread systematic discrimination in many areas of the federal bureaucracy. Black federal workers who launched the $2.5-billion claim against the federal government are appealing the court's decision. 'This underlines how much we need to expand anti-discrimination measures in the federal workplace,' said Prier. 'We're still wasting talent by allowing artificial barriers rooted in discrimination to persist.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.
CBC
18-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Court dismisses $2.5B class action alleging systemic racism in the public service
Social Sharing A Federal Court judge on Monday dismissed a motion to certify a proposed class-action lawsuit launched by Black public servants in 2020 who alleged there was systemic racism within the public service. In an "order and reasons" document, Justice Jocelyne Gagné said the case did not sufficiently meet the class-action requirement that the claims raise common issues. Gagné also said the scope of the plaintiffs' claim "simply makes it unfit for a class procedure." Filed in 2020, the class action sought $2.5 billion in damages because of lost salaries and promotion. The Black Class Action Secretariat, a group created as a result of the lawsuit, is seeking long-term solutions to address systemic racism and discrimination in the public service, including compensation and the appointment of a Black equity commission. Gagné said the court acknowledges the "profoundly sad ongoing history of discrimination suffered by Black Canadians" and that plaintiffs have faced challenges in the public service. However, she said the plaintiffs didn't present an adequate litigation plan and that they failed to present grounds for the court to assert jurisdiction over the case. The document also said there are several class actions against individual federal departments and agencies alleging racial discrimination, which "overlap significantly with the present action." Proposed class members, the judge said, "would therefore be included in the class definition of these other class proceedings." Plaintiffs call decision 'major disappointment' The Black Class Action Secretariat said in a news release Monday that the ruling was a "major disappointment, but it is not the end of our fight for justice." It said "this has been a David vs. Goliath battle, and while today's outcome is frustrating, it only strengthens our resolve." The news release said systemic anti-Black racism has long been recognized by the federal government and that the plaintiffs will meet with their legal team to "explore next steps." In 2023, a grievance ruling by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat found that the Canadian Human Rights Commission discriminated against its Black and racialized employees. In 2024, an internal report found that public servants working at the Privy Council Office were subject to racial stereotyping, microaggressions and verbal violence. "For decades, Black public service workers have faced systemic discrimination, and today's decision does nothing to change that reality," said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, head of the Black Class Action Secretariat. A Federal Court hearing took place last fall to help determine whether the lawsuit could proceed. At the time, the federal government filed a motion to strike, asking the judge to dismiss the case. The government argued that Black public servants could file grievances or human rights complaints. The government also called to remove Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members, as well as Department of National Defence and Correctional Service Canada employees as class members because of ongoing similar class actions. Thompson says the government used procedural barriers to "avoid addressing the merits of this case, rather than standing on the side of fairness and accountability." The government has spent around $10 million fighting the class action.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Certification of $2.5-billion Black class-action lawsuit against feds denied
OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge has dismissed a motion to certify a proposed class-action lawsuit that was launched by Black public servants in 2020 who alleged there was systemic racism within the public service. In an 'order and reasons' document, Justice Jocelyne Gagne says the case doesn't sufficiently meet the class-action requirement that the claims raise common enough issues. Gagne also says the scope of the plaintiffs' claim 'simply makes it unfit for a class procedure.' Filed in 2020, the class action sought $2.5 billion in damages because of lost salaries and promotions, says the Black Class Action Secretariat, a group created as a result of the lawsuit. Lawsuit alleging anti-Black racism in federal public service heads to court Report details anti-Black racism in public service, calls for commissioner Headed by Nicholas Marcus Thompson, the organization is seeking long-term solutions to address systemic racism and discrimination in the public service, including compensation and the appointment of a Black equity commission. Gagne said the court acknowledges the 'profoundly sad ongoing history of discrimination suffered by Black Canadians' and that plaintiffs have faced challenges in the public service. However, she said the plaintiffs didn't present an adequate litigation plan and that they failed to present a ground for the court to assert jurisdiction over the case. The document also said that several class actions against individual federal departments and agencies allege racial discrimination, which 'overlap significantly with the present action.' Proposed class members, the judge said, 'would therefore be included in the class definition of these other class proceedings.'
