Just when I thought maybe — just maybe — Canadian society has made progress on racial discrimination, a disturbing report out of Ottawa shows that white supremacy is alive and well at the highest level of bureaucracy in the federal government.
The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination obtained an internal report from the federal public service that examined allegations of racial discrimination against Black and other racialized staff, including Indigenous workers, in the Privy Council Office.
The report was released Monday.
What it found was a culture of white supremacy where racial slurs are common — including the use of the N-word — and where non-white staff are regularly passed up for promotions in favour of their white colleagues.
“Black and racialized employees — through dozens of examples of racial stereotyping, microaggressions and verbal violence — described a workplace culture where such behaviour is regularly practised and normalized, including at the executive level,” the report says.
The PCO is the highest level of bureaucracy in the federal civil service. It serves the Prime Minster’s Office and cabinet and sets the tone for the entire government. The clerk of the PCO is the highest-ranking bureaucrat in the federal government. It’s not a stretch to say that what goes on in the PCO likely has a cascading effect on the rest of the federal civil service.
It is beyond dumbfounding that this still goes on in any workplace in Canada, much less at the most senior level of administration in the federal government.
People are seriously using the N-word in the PCO? And according to the report, they’re using it “comfortably” in front of Black staff? You gotta be kidding me. How is this happening in 2024 and why haven’t heads rolled?
The report shows white employees work in the PCO for longer periods of time than non-white staff and are “clustered in permanent and higher-level positions.” Non-Black employees of colour say they observed anti-Black discrimination from managers and employees that negatively impacted the career advancements of Black staff.
The report shows white employees work in the PCO for longer periods of time than non-white staff and are “clustered in permanent and higher-level positions.”
Staff “detailed a culture of whiteness at the executive levels and the ways in which a clear preference for whiteness is pervasive at PCO,” the report says.
Many racialized employees who were passed up for promotions had high performance reviews but saw white staff who trained with them advance above their level. Also, Black employees were “chastised or discouraged” from taking part in diversity, equity and inclusion work, the report says.
What’s shocking is no one seems to be taking responsibility for this. The silence from elected officials is deafening.
“Racism and discrimination is never acceptable,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said when asked about the report Monday. “It’s not acceptable anywhere in Canada, least of all inside our government.”
That’s it? No followup? No public statement that government is appalled by these findings and that it is launching an inquiry into what is obviously a toxic and grotesque culture at the highest level of the federal bureaucracy?
Instead, all Canadians get is a talking-point answer from the finance minister.
Where is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on this? Why has he not launched a further review into these findings and held senior bureaucrats responsible for them?
When the PCO was asked for comment on the report, it did not respond to a request from the Canadian Press. Senior bureaucrats obviously prefer to bury the report instead.
It’s not surprising. It appears government was planning to keep this report under wraps all along. The only reason it was released is because the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination obtained it through a freedom of information request. That means the federal Liberal government — which purports to be the great defender of racial equality — was happy to withhold this information from the public.
It’s not surprising. It appears government was planning to keep this report under wraps all along.
The question now is, where else in the federal public service is this happening? It’s a broader question that should be examined.
If this is the tone set at the highest level of administration in the federal government, it likely exists elsewhere. If white supremacy and racism have been normalized at that level, chances are it has a cascading effect on other levels of the bureaucracy.
More importantly, it’s devastating for Black and other racialized staff who have to endure this level of hatred and exclusion by white managers and employees.
This report should be dealt with by the prime minister and cabinet. Just because it was released in the dead of summer when few people pay attention to politics or what’s going on in Ottawa, doesn’t mean it should collect dust on some bureaucrat’s shelf.
Canadians should be very disturbed by this.
tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Tom Brodbeck
Columnist
Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom.
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