A federal court hearing to determine whether a group of black public servants can move forward with a class action lawsuit alleging discrimination in the federal government began Monday.
The certification hearing, which is being held in Toronto, could last up to 12 days.
The class action lawsuit, made up of approximately 45,000 people who worked for the federal government in 1970, is seeking $2.5 billion in lost wages and pensions.
“Today we are escalating our tactics,” Nicholas Marcus Thompson, CEO of the Black Class Action Office, said outside the courthouse.
“State-sponsored discrimination is unacceptable.”
The plaintiffs allege widespread discrimination in the civil service, citing reports of anti-Black racism in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and an internal report on discrimination by the Privy Council Office.
Black civil servants are systematically denied hiring and promotion opportunities based on their race, have a hostile work environment and are underrepresented in senior positions, the report said.
The federal government said the plaintiffs may have raised personal concerns with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Government ministers said they remain committed to removing barriers and ensuring black employees have every opportunity to succeed.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Senate report on anti-Black racism, released last December, cited a “crisis of confidence” in the commission, saying it was ensuring that human rights complaints were handled in a “fair and impartial manner”. questioned their ability to respond.
The investigation was prompted by complaints to the commission over the treatment of black and racialized employees.
Senators found that some employees were harmed by their employers, and the report noted that discrimination in the workplace can have serious and lasting effects.
“While it is by no means acceptable, it is a fact of life for many Black and racialized people in Canada,” the report states.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stood with the plaintiffs in Toronto and said federal employees should be confident they won’t be discriminated against in the workplace.
He told the federal government to “stop fighting workers in court and settle this case.”
