Auditor General Report on Inclusion of Racialized Employees in the Canadian Public Sector

The Government of Canada Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government.

In a recent edition of the list, there was a link to a document from the Office of the Auditor General entitled Inclusion in the workplace for racialized employees : independent auditor's report.

"Many initiatives have been undertaken in the public service over decades to address known barriers and inequities in the workplace. None of these resulted in the full removal of barriers and in the achievement of equity (...)"

"To assess progress made to foster an inclusive organizational culture in the federal public service, we selected 6 organizations responsible in whole or in part for providing safety, the administration of justice, or policing services in Canada. Together, they employ about 21% of workers in the federal core public administration. We found that while all organizations we examined had established equity, diversity, and inclusion action plans, there was no measurement of or comprehensive reporting on progress against outcomes for racialized employees in each organization. As a result, the 6 organizations did not know whether their actions had made or would make a difference in the work lives of racialized employees."

"Practices for gathering and analyzing disaggregated data were also mixed across the 6 organizations. None examined performance rating distribution or tenure rates for racialized employees, and only some examined survey results and representation, promotion, and retention data at disaggregated levels. These differing approaches make it difficult to track and report on results for racialized employees or progress in inclusion across these federal workplaces."

"Not using data to understand the lived experiences of racialized employees in the workplace means that organizations and the public service as a whole are missing opportunities to identify and implement changes that could yield improved employment experiences for racialized employees. For example, we found that the 6 organizations we examined did not analyze complaint data to inform how they handled complaints of racist behaviours and related power imbalances despite racialized employees’ concerns about the existing processes. As well, organizations were not always using performance agreements for executives, managers, and supervisors to set expectations for desired behaviours to foster inclusion and create accountability for change (...)"

"The 6 organizations we examined had continued to focus on meeting workforce representation goals, including aligning the composition of their workforce with that of Canadian society. While this established approach is an important first step, it is not enough to fuel a sustained shift in organizational culture. Employment equity legislation in Canada has existed since the 1980s, so it alone is not enough to achieve the meaningful change to a workplace that is not only diverse but truly inclusive."