Visible minorities under-represented among Quebec public agency leaders

A new report released Monday found that members of visible minorities are still under-represented in senior positions in Quebec public organizations.

The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) found that barriers persist not only to accessing jobs, but even more so to promotion to senior positions, despite the skills 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, visible minorities, even if they were born in Canada, are still victims of discrimination in hiring, a trend that is reflected in their unemployment rate and their overqualification rate, which are higher than the Quebec average.

Commission vice-president Myrlande Pierre who is responsible for the Charter mandate and the application of the Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies (LAÉE), noted an increase in the representation of visible minorities in certain jobs.

As of March 31, 2022, 338 public bodies were subject to the equal access act and visible minorities accounted for 11.2 per cent of their total workforce. This is an increase of 8.5 per cent from the March 31, 2009 figures.

However, she says there is still a long way to go, particularly with regard to the "many stereotypes and prejudices conveyed in society. To address this, it is important to go beyond diversity management 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 trade unions and the government.

In particular, the commission recommends that both employers and trade unions introduce mandatory training on mechanisms to combat systemic racism and discrimination in employment. It also hopes to see the implementation of specific measures aimed at the advancement and promotion of 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 of racialized people and immigrants.

In doing so, it also proposes that public bodies "remove systemic barriers to the discriminatory effects of recognizing diplomas and work experience acquired in the country of origin or provenance of immigrants" and that the requirement by an employer to have work experience in Quebec or Canada be exceptional and that it be shown to be justified for the position.

Finally, the commission recommends that organizations subject to the act ensure that their staffing practices take into account "the historical, systemic and intersectional nature of discrimination and racism" and encourages them to modify them if necessary.

The commission is also setting up a consultation table made up of representatives of the main trade union centres concerned in order to define and clarify their role in the application of equal access to employment programs. It intends to address the obstacles to the representation of visible minorities at the table's meetings.

The Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies came into force on April 1, 2001.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 30, 2023.