Ongoing support meant to provide 'safe, healthy and inclusive workplace,' says minister, after
The federal government is expanding a series of career development, leadership and mental health initiatives for Black public servants, as part of its multi‑year Action Plan for Black Public Servants.
According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the number of Black mental health professionals available through Health Canada’s Employee Assistance Program tripled to 122 as of December 2025, serving Black public servants and their immediate family members. The Secretariat also reported that 199 Black public servants have received leadership development services through the enhanced Career Counselling and Coaching program, with another 200 participants continuing into the new fiscal year.
On the leadership front, 50 Black executives have completed the Executive Leadership Development Program, with an additional 47 participants expected to finish by April 2026, bringing the total to 97 graduates.
At the management level, 92 employees are slated to complete the Aspiring Directors Program for Black Leaders by March 2026. The Leadership Development Program for Black supervisors and managers has supported 204 participants from September 2025 to February 2026, with 105 more to join this fiscal year.
“These efforts help support Black employees in the public service so that they can succeed,” said Shafqat Ali, president of the Treasury Board, adding that “this ongoing work supports a safe, healthy and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive across the government of Canada.”
Black government services workers face racism in the workplace – even if they reach the executive ranks, according to a previous report.
Mental health, language training
The federal government has also launched a Black Mental Health Webinar Series to explore mental health and systemic racism in the workplace and to provide “culturally safe and trauma-informed spaces to Black public servants and allies.”
The Action Plan also targets language skills, with the Second Official Language Training for Black Public Servants providing learning support to 1,200 participants and plans to extend access to another 800 employees in the new fiscal year.
New initiatives led or co‑ordinated by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat are now under way. The Supporting Future Innovators Program aims to provide Black public servants with access to learning programmes that support the digital transformation of government.
The Building the Pipeline initiative is designed to strengthen training and capacity in the offices of Ombuds and Informal Conflict Management Services to improve conflict resolution and employee support services for Black public servants.
Representation and funding
In 2024, president of the Treasury Board Anita Anand announced the first steps in the Action Plan for Black Public Servants.
Treasury Board data show that during the 2023–24 fiscal year, Black public servants represented 5.0 per cent of the federal workforce, while 3.0 per cent of executives self‑identified as Black.
The 2023–24 Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada report also found that the proportion of Black employees is higher in the $50,000 to $74,999 salary range and lower in all other salary ranges between $75,000 and $250,000.
Budgets 2022 and 2023 committed nearly $50 million for the creation and implementation of the Action Plan for Black Public Servants to establish career development programmes and mental health supports.
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.
Here’s how federal public servants feel about diversity initiatives within their organisations, according to the 2023 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey: Report on the Results for the Federal Public Service from the Public Service Commission of Canada:
