The Canadian Human Rights Commission (HRC) leader apologized on Monday for the unfair treatment of black staff members.. Canadian Human Rights Commission .Senators on the Human Rights committee said that the apology was not enough, as the absence of black executives within the HRC undermined its apology..“The Canadian Human Rights Commission sincerely apologizes for any instances in which we fell short of our obligation, whether as an employer or service provider,” testified Charlotte-Anne Malischewski, chief commissioner of the HRC..“The Commission does not tolerate racism of any kind in our workplace.”.The Treasury Board has formally censured the HRC for discriminatory treatment of black staff..Nine Black employees documented cases where they were denied promotions, subjected to “discriminatory practices” and “tokenized in the workplace.”.“Employees experienced discrimination in our workplace,” said Malischewski. She provided no specific examples, claiming confidentiality..Senator Mobina Jaffer (BC) noted none of the three HRC executives who appeared to testify before the Senate committee yesterday were black..“This is an issue for blacks, so why isn’t there a black person on the executive sitting here?” asked Jaffer..“We know the diversity we have is not enough,” replied Malischewski..“Have you asked them whether they would come with you?” asked Jaffer..“We do have some senior black executives who offered to come with us today,” replied Malischewski..“But they are not here. It is evident they are not here,” asked Jaffer..“You chose not to ask them to come?” asked the Chair..“We believed it was important that the most senior,” replied Malischewski..“I want a yes or no answer. You chose not to ask them to come?” asked the Chair..“We chose not to put that on the shoulders of the black executives we have,” replied Malischewski..“So the answer is no. Thank you very much,” asked the Chair..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Sen. Ratna Omidvar (ON) questioned whether any managers were fired for mistreating black employees..“What accountability measures have you taken?” asked Omidvar..“None of those individuals are currently managing people at the Commission,” replied Malischewski. She did not say if any were fired..In a 2021 report to the United Nations, the HRC claimed it was committed to “the highest standards of equality.” .The agency considered itself “Canada’s national human rights institution,” said its Submission to the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent..“The Commission is dedicated to meeting the highest standards of equality and non-discrimination, inclusion, dignity and respect and is committed to being a fierce ally in the fight against racism in Canada,” wrote the report.
