Managers at the Privy Council Office have been accused of using the n-word on the job and subjecting black employees to "tokenism" and "harassment," according to a document disclosed by union executives. Blacklock's Reporter says these allegations are part of an Access To Information document detailing crude bigotry in staff interviews following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise of reforms amid Black Lives Matter protests.“Black employees have intervened with managers who have used the word ‘n—er’ comfortably in their presence, have made Islamophobic remarks, have feigned innocence when white employees have unfairly advanced at their expense and expressed surprise at ‘not knowing’ that ‘n—er’ was a greatly pejorative term for Black people,” said a 20-page report.Findings were based on interviews with Privy Council employees in 2021 and 2022. “Employees noticed increasing numbers and rotations of black and racialized employees within the Privy Council Office after George Floyd’s death but little change at the executive and systemic levels,” said the report Safe Space Findings And Recommendations To Privy Council Office.Floyd’s 2020 murder in Minneapolis police custody prompted the Prime Minister that July 5 to join protesters kneeling on Parliament Hill. Cabinet’s 2020 Throne Speech promised “an action plan” to hire more Black federal employees.“Employees described a workplace where microaggressions abound at all levels,” said the Safe Space report. “Notably employees described being profiled, being accused of lacking neutrality and clarity on issues of race and racism and engaging with colleagues who attempt interpersonal connection through the emulation of cultural stereotypes.”There was “tokenism,” “harassment” and “racism at the Privy Council Office,” said the report. “Such behaviour is regularly practiced and normalized including at the executive level,” it said.The Access To Information document was disclosed by the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination, an advocacy group including union executives. The Coalition yesterday demanded that Privy Council Officers be fired and that cabinet appoint a Black Equity Commissioner.“Putdowns and indignities are a daily reality,” said Sharon DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. DeSousa said the report was “just like we saw at the Canadian Human Rights Commission” where managers were censured in 2023 for mistreating Black employees.“Racialized employees experience a very, very different public service without the same opportunities for career advancement, trapped in a revolving door of tokenism, brought into temporary positions to give the appearance of racial equity then moving out without meaningful opportunity for advancement,” said President DeSousa.Larry Rousseau, executive vice president of the Canadian Labour Congress, yesterday noted the Privy Council was far-reaching. “The Prime Minister appoints the Clerk of the Privy Council,” he said. “Under the Clerk’s leadership the Privy Council Office recommends who will lead the public service and therefore indirectly how it will be led and managed.”“Accountability is the bottom line,” said Rousseau. “If you are not accountable and truly accountable as a senior manager within a department, well then it’s a numbers game. We are just checking off the boxes.”
