Federal prosecutors say preferential hiring practices that give priority to racial minorities, indigenous people, people with disabilities and sexual minority applicants do not violate anti-discrimination provisions governing the federal workplace.The Public Prosecution Service of Canada defended the practice after an internal job posting explicitly told employees belonging to designated groups they would be considered “before others,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.“Collective agreements contain provisions prohibiting discrimination in the workplace and they are applied in conjunction with federal legislation including the Employment Equity Act,” said Prosecution Service spokesperson Alessia Bongiovanni.“The Act specifically authorizes measures intended to address disadvantage and under-representation and recognizes that achieving employment equity may require proactive measures in addition to equal treatment.”Bongiovanni said preferential treatment is intended to address what the government considers historical disadvantages and under-representation among designated groups.“The Act recognizes that achieving workplace equality may require special measures to address the historical disadvantages and under-representation experienced by designated and equity deserving groups,” she said.One Prosecution Service Internal Call Letter for an $81,000-a-year recordkeeping position at the Nunavut Regional Office said applicants who identified with specified groups would receive priority.“This opportunity will directly support high priority and complex files including homicide prosecutions and dangerous offender applications within a unique Northern circuit court context,” the posting said..The notice said all interested employees could apply but emphasized the Prosecution Service's commitment to providing career development opportunities to members of equity groups.“As such we will consider employees who self-declare as being a black person, a racialized person, a person living with a disability, a First Nation, an Inuit, a Métis or a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for this opportunity before others,” it said.Applicants wishing to self-declare were instructed to include the information on their résumé.The policy means white heterosexual applicants who do not fall into another listed category would not receive the same priority consideration.Federal employment figures show representation of designated groups has increased over the past 15 years.A July 7 Treasury Board report, Employment Equity In The Public Service 2024 To 2025, said all designated employment equity groups recorded an overall increase in representation between 2010 and 2025.Women accounted for 59% of employees in the federal government's core public administration, while visible minorities represented 24%, people with disabilities 9% and indigenous employees 5.5%.“The Government of Canada remains committed to a diverse and representative public service,” said the report.
