Black, Indigenous and racialized employees in the Privy Council Office are regularly subjected to a culture of “racial stereotyping, microagressions and verbal violence,” according to the findings of an internal report.
The damning report — obtained by the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination through the Access to Information Act and released by the coalition Monday — said the office does not have a grasp on the scope or impact of the discrimination that those employees face.
There are also “significant material barriers to meaningful representation and inclusion” in the workplace, it says.
The Privy Council Office’s 1,200 employees make up the lead branch of the civil service, providing support for the prime minister and cabinet in executing policy directives across the federal government.
According to the report, Black employees reported managers using the N-word “comfortably in their presence” and later expressing surprise at “not knowing” it was a pejorative term for Black people.
The report also says managers made Islamophobic remarks and “feigned innocence when white employees have unfairly advanced at their expense.”
The report’s author, Rachel Zellars, said one of her key findings was a culture that “discourages reporting,” with employees widely noting that “accountability mechanisms are currently non-existent.”
Zellars compiled her report after speaking with 58 employees in the office from November 2021 to May 2022.
“When we received this report, it was shocking,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, president and CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, at a Monday press conference after the report was released.
“This is the head of the public service. This is the Privy Council Office that directed the entire federal public service to address racism,” he said. “While it is shocking, it is what we’ve seen across the public service, across all departments and agencies.”
In January 2021, Ian Shugart, the former clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the cabinet, called on leaders across the public service to take actions to advance anti-racism initiatives and foster systemic change.
Thompson said Monday that Shugart’s call has been ignored.
“Despite a call to action from the clerk himself for the public service to take specific and meaningful actions to address racism, equity and inclusion, the report identified the PCO’s own corporate services as a key barrier to that call to action,” he said.
The coalition is calling for the resignation of two members of the office’s leadership for failures to address issues outlined in the report, including the deputy clerk in charge of the discrimination file.
Additionally, the coalition is calling for the government to settle the Black employees’ class action lawsuit.
‘Double standards’
Black employees interviewed by Zellars reported “double standards” in the career advancement opportunities afforded to them — like access to French-language training, something that’s been identified as a key factor for moving up at the Privy Council Office.
They also shared stories of being “discouraged” from taking part in diversity, equity and inclusion work. Black employees said the messaging they got was that it would be a conflict with their non-partisan commitment as civil servants and could “detract from their real 9-5” work.
Non-black racialized employees reported seeing instances where career advancement for Black employees was hindered by managers and other employees.
Indigenous employees called on the office to define what reconciliation means for the department and for management to identify tangible initiatives they can achieve.
“White employees and executives detailed personal experiences and career-advancing opportunities that were in stark variance from Black, Indigenous and racialized employees,” the report said.
4 pages of recommendations
The report includes four pages of recommendations for how the office’s leadership can address some of the concerns.
In a July 26 letter to Thompson and shared Monday by the coalition, deputy clerk Christine Fox said leaders are committed to bringing change across the civil service and within the office.
“I would like to reassure you that the clerk and I, and the entire management team at PCO, are committed to action and results that remove barriers and ensure that Indigenous employees, Black and racialized employees fully benefit from the opportunities and experiences PCO offers,” Fox wrote.