The Government of Quebec is slow to achieve its employment access objectives for civil servants from visible and ethnic minorities. The public service must add at least two thousand diversity employees by next year, but the countdown is well underway.
So that “the entire population of Quebec can identify with the public service”, Quebec had set itself the objective that 18% of government employees belong to a visible or ethnic minority (VME) in March 2023. However, according to statistics just made public, the government is still far from the mark.
On March 31, 2022, the presence rate of racialized people among the approximately 60,000 state employees was 15.4%, according to data from the Secretariat of the Treasury Board. This is 1.4 percentage points more than the previous year (14%), but still far from the target reiterated last year by the Action Group Against Racism (GACR).
Set up during the last CAQ mandate, this interdepartmental committee was unable to take stock of its actions in 2022 in time for the Holidays. This one will appear “this winter, [donc] in 2023”, indicated to the To have to the office of the minister responsible for the fight against racism, Christopher Skeete. In December 2021, however, the minister responsible at the time, Benoit Charette, had agreed that the public service was doing “too little” in terms of hiring racialized people.
In four years, the representation of people from EVDs in government has increased by 4.1 percentage points.
From best to worst
The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration wins, by far, the prize for representativeness. In March, almost half (46.1%) of its employees were from diversity, and all of its regional targets had been achieved. In second place: the Ministry of the Family, at 28.4%, then the Economy, at 21.1%.
Among the dunces, the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks – since split – which had 3.4% of racialized people in its ranks in March 2022. Not far from there, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources – also overhauled this fall – (8.9%), as well as Culture and Communications (10.9%).
Asked by The duty on this subject, the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks did not respond within the allotted time. Its 2021-2022 annual management report indicates, however, that out of 1,112 new hires, 63 people were from MVEs.
The Ministry of the Executive Council, which is led by the Prime Minister’s team, also lands among the least representative. In total, 8.3% of its employees are racialized people.
In its action plan tabled in December 2020, the GACR made five recommendations regarding the employment of visible and ethnic minorities. “To do public service […] an exemplary employer”, Quebec undertook in particular to “negotiate and conclude, within five years, international agreements on the recognition of professional qualifications” and to “guarantee the presence of at least one member from a visible minority on the majority of the boards of directors of Crown corporations”.
The Treasury Board Secretariat, which manages the hiring of civil servants, ensures “puts[tre] put in place actions to support the [ministères et organismes] in achieving targets. “In the spring and fall of 2021, the secretary of the Conseil du trésor sent two communications to deputy ministers and heads of organizations to paint a picture of the situation and encourage them to make the necessary efforts to achieve the 18% target by 2023,” the communications team wrote to the To have to Friday.