A new report published on Monday finds that members of visible minorities are still underrepresented in management positions in Quebec public bodies.
The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) notes that obstacles persist not only to accessing jobs, but even more so to promotion to management positions, despite the skills of members of visible minorities.
The lack of work experience on Quebec soil and the non-recognition of experience and diplomas obtained abroad are among the major obstacles to access to employment for immigrants who have recently arrived in Quebec.
Moreover, people belonging to visible minorities, even if they were born in Canada, still face discrimination in hiring today, a trend that is reflected in their higher unemployment and overqualification rates. than the Quebec average.
The vice-president of the Commission responsible for the Charter mandate and the application of the Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies (LAÉE), Myrlande Pierre, nevertheless notes an increase in the representation of visible minorities in certain jobs.
As of March 31, 2022, 338 public bodies were subject to the AÉÉ and visible minorities accounted for 11.2% of their total workforce. This is an increase of 8.5% compared to the data recorded on March 31, 2009.
However, according to Ms. Pierre, there is still a long way to go, particularly with regard to the “multiple stereotypes and prejudices conveyed in society. To correct this situation, it is important to go beyond the simple management of diversity to find solutions that effectively tackle systemic and intersectional discrimination in the employment sector”.
Recommendations
The report, which is published annually, contains 11 recommendations, some aimed at employers and others at unions and government.
In particular, the Commission recommends that both employers and unions set up mandatory training on the mechanisms for combating systemic racism and discrimination in the workplace. It also wishes to see the implementation of specific measures aimed at the progression and promotion of persons from visible minorities in employment.
The CDPDJ also suggests that the Quebec government develop a policy to fight systemic racism and discrimination that takes into account “the particular realities experienced by racialized people and immigrants”.
In doing so, it also proposes that public bodies “remove the systemic obstacles with discriminatory effects hindering the recognition of diplomas and professional experience acquired in the country of origin or provenance of immigrants” and that the requirement, for an employer, to have work experience in Quebec or Canada is exceptional and that it is then demonstrated that it is justified for the position.
Finally, the Commission recommends that organizations subject to the AEA ensure that their staffing practices take into account “the historical, systemic and intersectional nature of discrimination and racism” and encourage them to modify them if necessary.
The Commission also undertakes to set up a consultation table made up of representatives of the main labor organizations concerned in order to define and clarify their role in the application of programs for equal access to employment. She intends to address the obstacles that hinder the representation of members of visible minorities during the table meetings.
The Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies came into force on April 1, 2001.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.