(Ottawa) A group of black civil servants files a complaint with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, accusing the federal government of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.
Posted at 3:12 p.m.
New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh and Amnesty International Canada support this latest action by workers who also filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government in 2020, alleging systemic discrimination in the way it hires and grants jobs. promotions to civil servants.
The lawsuit filed in federal court on behalf of more than 45,000 black public servants alleges they have been denied opportunities and benefits given to others because of their ethnicity since the 1970s.
The statement says the class action is seeking damages to compensate black public servants for the mental and economic hardship they faced.
Workers are also calling for a plan to finally diversify the federal workforce and remove barriers that even employment equity laws have failed to remove.
They say the decision to take the matter to the international human rights body is because the federal government is deliberately creating delays in the court process.