Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Every year, the PSAC marks March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, as an important day. With an upsurge of labour migration, the growing racially visible population, the further marginalization of Aboriginal peoples and the continuing fear of “terrorism” in Canada, the PSAC again calls for national and international solidarity among the labour movement and social justice groups against racial discrimination.

Wage gap and higher unemployment for racialized workers

By 2011, immigration will account for 100 per cent of Canada’s net labour force growth. Currently, three out of four people immigrating to Canada belong to racialized groups. In this context, there is disturbing evidence that racial discrimination continues to deny immigrants and racialized workers access to meaningful employment and wage parity with non-racialized Canadian workers.

The 2008 report, Career Advancement in Corporate Canada: A focus on Visible Minorities, by Catalyst, concludes that racialized workers were less satisfied with their careers, less likely to report positive experiences and perceptions regarding their workplace and more likely to perceive workplace barriers compared to non –racialized workers. This finding has been consistent with those of the Public Service Employees Survey, which also finds that racialized workers in the federal public service believe they experience higher rates of discrimination and harassment.

According to the 2006 Census (pdf), the wage gap between recent immigrants and Canadian-born workers has widened significantly over the past quarter century, with recent immigrants with university degrees faring no better than those without.

The place of birth, which is an indicator of cultural, religious and ethnic characteristics of immigrants, has the strongest impact on this wage-gap phenomenon, with fluency in English or French and foreign credential also as contributing factors. Yet, although language, foreign education and birthplace explain a large part of immigrant earnings inequality, most of it is not explained by these factors (pdf).

Furthermore, recent immigrants continue to have lower employment rates and higher unemployment rates than the Canadian born.

For Aboriginal peoples, unemployment rates dropped and employment rates rose between 2001 and 2006. However, they remain more than twice as likely to be unemployed as non-Aboriginal peoples.

Racial Discrimination and Profiling

Racial profiling continues to be practiced by state and law enforcement institutions in Canada. The draft report of the United Nations Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Canada on Human Rights, released in February 2009, focused on the disadvantages and discrimination suffered by Aboriginal peoples in Canada and discrimination against Arab, Muslim and Afro-Canadian communities. The Working Group made a specific recommendation for Canada to give appropriate attention to end racial discrimination against the Arab and Muslim communities in Canada including racial and religious profiling. It further called on the Canadian government to review its discriminatory national laws on security and adopt sensitization campaigns to protect against racial profiling and stereotyping on the grounds of nationality, ethnicity, descent and race, with regards to terrorism.

The UN Human Rights Council also noted the systemic barriers that Aboriginal Peoples faced and called on the Canadian government to increase its efforts to settle territorial entitlements; adopt all necessary measures to guarantee all human rights for Aboriginal peoples; give the highest priority to addressing existing inequalities; strengthen and enlarge current programs on housing, education and employment; improve the welfare of Aboriginal children; address the significant issue of violence against Aboriginal women; and sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Canada has refused to adopt.
2009 Durban Review Conference

The Conservative federal government has shown a flagrant disregard for the racial inequality and the plight of racially visible peoples and immigrants in Canada.

An action plan (pdf) was developed as a result of the UN’s first World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, in 2001. Participating states were enjoined to undertake the action plan, but the federal Conservative government has boycotted the upcoming follow-up conference, whose objective is to review the progress and implementation of the Durban Declaration and action plan.

However, the PSAC will participate as part of the Canadian labour delegation to ensure that a Canadian labour perspective is represented at the conference and to maintain pressure on the Canadian government to meet its international obligations.

Combatting Racism: In Our Interest as a Union

Racism is destructive to our members and to our solidarity, which are the pillars of our strength. It is in our interest as a union to work towards removing barriers toward a just and equitable society.

On this day, we demand that the federal government:

• Address the wage gap and under-representation of racialized workers in the federal public service by reviving the Embracing Change initiative and restoring its funding.
• Eliminate racial profiling and revise immigration and other governmental policies (e.g. temporary foreign workers programs, recognition of foreign credentials, etc.) that discriminate against racialized peoples.
• Participate in the UN Durban Conference Review.
• Respect Aboriginal rights and honour the commitments made in the Kelowna Accord.
• Fix the water crisis in the First Nations communities.
• End gender discrimination against Aboriginal women.
• Sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples