by MacAndrew Clarke
2016 PSAC NCR Conference for Racially Visible PSAC Members in the National Capital Region
On Saturday, November 6th, the Racially Visible Action Committee (RVAC) of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), gathered for a second day at the Shaw Centre located in downtown Ottawa. From November 4th-6th, PSAC employees discussed issues and possible solutions to overcome and eradicate racial discrimination experienced in the workplace.
The first plenary session occurred on Friday where Fo Niemi, Executive Director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), and Joanne St-Lewis, Law Professor at the University of Ottawa, were invited as guest speakers. Between Friday and Saturday, PSAC members participated in two workshops: 1) “Naming our Regional Issues” and 2), “Removing our Barriers: Pushing our Issues Forward”. Finally on Sunday, conference participants went over issues highlighted in the 2016 Racially Visible Members committee discussion papers.
“For the past 14 years, we have been pushing to have this conference,” said Larry Rousseau, PSAC Regional Executive Vice President for the National Capital Region. Larry explained that in order for an activity such as this to occur, it must first be approved by PSAC leadership at their Triennial National Convention. That said, for the past 4 conferences, the suggestion to discuss, debate, and find solutions to racial discrimination in the workplace was “debated and defeated” by majority vote during past conventions. However in 2015, due to focused successful lobbying of the RVAC, the motion was finally passed.
“We first want to build a sense of community and togetherness” said Larry when explaining the overall scope of the conference. “Our goal is to come together in solidarity and see what binds us together.” Following the establishment of a safe space at the conference, the expectation was for participants to identify common issues and challenges they either experienced or observed while on the job. When asked about what has been brought up in the past in terms of allegations of racial discrimination, Larry mentioned the challenge of upward mobility. “Once you’re hired, the ceiling is very low,” says Larry. Also, since racially visible employees experience racial discrimination in different ways, the goal of the conference was to identify the most common barriers and provide solutions to bring an end to racial discrimination in the workplace.
Whether it was a call for enhanced cultural sensitivity training or the proposal of ensuring a seat at the decision making table for racially visible employees, conference participants were candid and engaged when discussing their personal trials and strategies to overcome during workshops. “If you’re not at the table, you’re the menu,” said Stanley Decayette when highlighting the importance of making sure that there is a diversity of voices in leadership positions.
Moving forward, information will be compiled into a position paper which will be presented at the next PSAC convention. There will also be an additional 7 conferences occurring in various regions of the country in order to gain a clearer picture of the roadblocks racially visible members face on the job. Additional information on the RVAC initiatives can be found on their website.
About the writer
MacAndrew Clarke holds a B.A. (Hons) in Political Science from Carleton University. Fluently bilingual in English and French, he has several years diverse communications and marketing experience from within the public, private, and non-profit sectors. MacAndrew Clarke has been a member of The Academy since December of 2015. He can be reached at: [email protected].