OPS 'fails to acknowledge the genesis, complexities and uniqueness of anti-Black Racism,' says report
While the Ontario Public Service (OPS) has a comprehensive set of policies designed to foster and sustain an inclusive and accessible workplace, it has a long way to go to address anti-Black racism within its system, according to a report.
“There is a denial of the existence sometimes of racism,” says Keith Jeffers, president and principal consultant of Employment Matters Consulting, with many people being told “If you think you're experiencing racism, you are not, because there's no such thing.”
It is commendable that the OPS has had an anti-racism policy and program since 2018, says the report, which calls for the development of a multiyear, enterprise-wide anti-racism program to identify, remove and prevent systemic racism barriers in employment faced by racialized employees.
“While the public-facing document of the anti-racism policy acknowledges that the histories of colonialism and slavery that have resulted in institutionalized inequities, the formal policy document does not explicitly outline the legacy impact of slavery. In doing so, it fails to acknowledge the genesis, complexities and uniqueness of anti-Black racism.”
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario Public Service
According to the Employment Consulting Matters’ report, there is a significant gap between what the OPS claims to value – namely, equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism – and the reality of the lived experience of Black OPS employees: “The OPS’ response to anti-Black racism has been inadequate, at best.”
Researchers talked to OPS employees who told stories about their exclusion by hiring managers and those in authority. They expressed anger at the racial bias they routinely encounter.
On top of that, “there are no policies, no programs in the OPS that identify anti-Black racism,’ Jeffers told Canadian HR Reporter.
“The policy infrastructure can be an instrument of cultural transformation. If I develop a policy, I am [acknowledging] its existence that this is important to the organization. If you have anti-LGBTQ [discrimination] policies, talking about issues of diversity, that's a way of saying, ‘Diversity is important to us.’”
The report noted that Black employees claim that the OPS system of management is defined by the absence of corporate standards, lack of accountability, performance expectations, and performance metrics. They describe toxic work environments, in which managers are fully aware that discrimination and harassment are occurring, yet they fail to act.
There is rampant discrimination against Black and racialized employees at Canada’s Privy Council Office (PCO), according to a previous report. Also, the United Nations’ oversight body will be investigating the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) following reports that the Canadian body has discriminated against Black and racialized workers.
How to address anti-Black racism
To address the problem, the Employment Consulting Matters report suggests the following:
- The Secretary of the Cabinet hold a conference on the Third-Party Review Report to raise awareness, communicate the OPS commitment to dismantle anti-Black racism and ready the OPS for anti-Black racism change.
- Have a series of conversations across the OPS, led by ARD|OPSC in collaboration with BOPSers, the OPS Black leadership, the bargaining agents and the Diversity Council.
- The Secretary of the Cabinet requires executives to set up systems in their ministries that enable and empower employees to come forward if they experience racist or unsafe practices.
- To stay accountable for anti-Black racism change, executives hold regular debrief meetings with BIPOC (Black Indigenous, People of Colour) employees for feedback on whether changes are working and what needs to change.
“Organizations must understand that there is anti-Black racism in the same way there is gender discrimination, in the same way persons with disabilities have to be accommodated,” says Jeffers.
“Organizations must have in place mechanisms to engage employees, and to understand the impact of policies on employees’ health and wellbeing and on employees’ ability to deliver the work.”
In February, a coalition of Canadian human rights groups and unions filed a systemic discrimination complaint against the CHRC.
