Warning: This story contains disturbing details about racism and suicidal thoughts
An internal report on workplace racism and harassment at the highest levels of the federal civil service shows that even the highest levels of the federal government are not immune to the problem.
A government-funded report obtained by CBC News on the experiences of Black public servants in senior government positions includes first-hand accounts of racist comments, harassment, intimidation and intimidation that have harmed the mental health of public servants, particularly Black people. It is. woman.
“Importantly, Black women detailed chronic depression, antidepressant use, and workplace conflicts so severe that they led to suicide attempts,” the report said.
The report also documents instances in which black public servants have been called the “N-word” in the workplace, sexually harassed, and even threatened with physical violence. There are also concerns that internal grievance processes could be weaponized against black executives.
The report was initiated by the Black Executives Network, an advocacy group for black executives in the federal civil service, and has funding from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and other government departments.
CBC obtained a copy of the report and an email from the country’s top civil servant, Clerk of the Privy Council John Hannaford, addressing the report’s findings and providing a preliminary response plan.
“What is being conveyed in the report is deeply disturbing and shows that some members of the Black executive community have experienced or are currently experiencing these types of experiences,” Hannaford said in an email. I think it’s unfortunate considering that there are reports that there are.”
Mr Hannaford and several other senior civil servants sent an email to all deputy ministers and the Black Business Owners Network.
Rachel Zellers, a senior research fellow at St. Mary’s University, wrote the peer-reviewed report. Mr. Zellers is an attorney who frequently conducts research and training for the federal government.
“As a researcher who has conducted more than 1,000 interviews with public servants since 2019, these interviews are among the most harrowing I have witnessed and recorded,” Zellers wrote in his report. states.
The study interviewed more than 100 current and former Black civil servants who held senior or executive roles in Canada’s public service.
threat of violence
The report reveals allegations made by black executives, but their names, positions and departments are withheld in the report. Executives spoke of how they were threatened with physical violence during their careers.
“One former executive described how, during a meeting with other attendees, a white colleague shoved a chair at him and threatened to “slap the N-word out,” the report details. . “Surprisingly, no one in the room intervened on his behalf.”
In another episode cited in the report, a civil servant said a colleague “got angry… and threw something at her.”
According to the report, 62% of respondents reported instances of workplace harassment, intimidation, or threats of reputational damage by a supervisor or senior leader.
“One highly professional black male executive described his work environment as a ‘cesspool of racism,'” the report said, adding that the executive did not get the position for a reason. He added that he often had to tell people that he had earned it on “merit” instead of “merit.” of his race.
In an email, Hannaford and other civil service chiefs vowed to take action.
“We are committed to ensuring these issues are addressed and will personally review the report and recommendations to ensure action is taken to bring about lasting change,” they wrote. .
The Office of the Treasury Board, the federal civil service’s human resources arm, released a statement Friday that did not go as far into what the report revealed as Hannaford’s email.
A preliminary response plan has been developed and Mr. Hannaford is scheduled to meet with Mr. Zellers, executives and deputy ministers leading core government departments next week, the statement said.
The report found that many black executives report career stagnation, spending years in acting positions or developing subordinates who will eventually be promoted above them.
“I received a 911 emergency call and was only allowed to act,” the report quotes one female respondent as saying. “I never got the role I played.”
42% of English-speaking black civil servants reported struggling to secure the language training they need to advance their careers.
One black female executive told the report’s authors that her “Quebec director” encouraged her not to learn French at the expense of the department.
“She stated that she had ‘learned English on her own by reading books in English and sleeping with English-speaking men,'” the report reads.
Class action lawsuit alleging decades of discrimination
The report comes as a number of black public servants seek permission from federal courts to sue the federal government.
A proposed class action lawsuit launched in 2020 alleges that Black public servants have endured decades of systemic racism and discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that since the 1970s, approximately 30,000 Black employees have lost opportunities and benefits afforded to others because of their race.
It is seeking $2.5 billion in financial hardship compensation and mental health plans for pain and trauma for its employees. Plaintiffs are also seeking a federal workforce diversity plan.
The case is currently being heard by a federal judge in Toronto, who is expected to rule on whether to certify it as a class action.
Nicholas Marcus-Thompson, CEO of the Black Class Action Litigation Office, said he was “in tears when I read the report” about workplace racism and harassment at the highest levels of Canada’s civil service. said.
“Tears came to my eyes as I read the report. I heard the stories of so many women who could have been my mother or grandmother…while so many people watched and did nothing. , we have heard their pain and suffering for a long time,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, lead plaintiff in the proposed class action.
“That’s the horrifying experience of many black workers.”
The report makes several recommendations, including a zero-tolerance policy for anti-Black racism, mandatory training and guidance for Black civil servants, and the creation of a “Black Equity Commissioner” to serve as a watchdog within the government. .
The report also calls for increased accountability for senior leaders who “failed to acknowledge or challenge management’s anti-Black treatment of Black executives.”
This is not Zellers’ first report on workplace racism and harassment in the federal civil service.
A report she drafted, published in July, found that Black, Indigenous and racialized staff in the Privy Council Office were regularly exposed to a culture of “racial stereotypes, microaggressions and verbal violence”. It was concluded that it was.
The Privy Council’s 1,200 staff make up a key branch of the civil service, supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet in implementing policy directives across the federal government.
According to a July report, Black employees reported that managers were “comfortable using the N-word in their presence” and later expressed surprise when they were told it was a derogatory term for Black people. It is said that he did.
