Earlier this year, PSAC National President Sharon DeSousa appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to discuss employment equity in the federal public service. PSAC also submitted detailed recommendations to the committee on how the government can better protect workers from equity-deserving groups during workforce adjustment. 

Employment equity initiatives remove systemic barriers that women, racialized workers, Indigenous workers, 2SLGBTQIA+ workers, and workers with disabilities face in accessing jobs and career opportunities. They aim to ensure that the public service better reflects the people of Canada. 

Why PSAC is concerned 

PSAC's submission highlights that progress on employment equity has been slow and uneven. 

Workers with disabilities remain underrepresented in the federal public service, while Indigenous, racialized and other equity-deserving workers continue to face barriers to hiring, promotion and career advancement. 

At the same time, ongoing federal workforce cuts raise serious concerns. More than 143,000 PSAC members have received workforce adjustment notices, and over 24,000 federal public service workers have been identified as affected or at risk of losing their jobs. PSAC is concerned that these cuts could disproportionately affect workers from equity-deserving groups and reverse gains made over the past several decades. 

PSAC is also concerned that the government is not providing enough information about how workforce adjustment is affecting equity-deserving workers. Without transparent and timely data, it is difficult to understand the full impact of the cuts. 

What PSAC is calling for 

PSAC is urging the government to: 

• Implement recommendations from the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force 
• Improve transparency and provide detailed data on how job cuts are affecting equity-deserving workers 
• Strengthen accountability and oversight of employment equity programs 
• Consult unions on workforce adjustment and employment equity issues 
• Modernize the Employment Equity Act to better reflect today's workforce and workplace realities 

PSAC has submitted recommendations to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights outlining concerns about employment equity and workforce adjustment in the federal public service. 

Read PSAC's full submission to the committee.