Immigration employees are being invited to take part in workplace events for “public service pride week,” including a drag bingo game Thursday with performers billed as a “sexy drag rock star” and “roller skating disco diva.” The department did not disclose the cost.A staff notice said the 90-minute bingo event would be held during business hours and encouraged workers to “bring your lucky charms, your loudest cheers and your best bingo face.” The notice also promoted a pride potluck and a chance to meet the department’s “pride champion,” Director General Emmanuelle Deault-Bonin.Another event tomorrow is a 90-minute videoconference titled “Unity In Diversity.” The session, led by Assistant Director Holly North Ellingwood, is described as going “beyond microaggressions” to offer “actionable tools” to support wellness, respect and psychological safety in the workplace.Annual Workforce Demographics reports do not indicate how many immigration staff self-identify as LGBTQ. Statistics Canada in 2021 estimated 4% of Canadians identify as gay or lesbian and 0.24% as transgender or non-binary.A Privy Council Office study last year found LGBTQ participants in Toronto and Montréal were frustrated by what they saw as slow progress in federal inclusion efforts. They urged greater urgency, more resources for queer-led initiatives and scholarships, and suggested cutting federal grants to organizations unaccepting of LGBTQ individuals.
