To celebrate Black History Month, PSAC has planned a series of panel discussions that will dive into issues facing Black workers and will honour the contributions of Black labour activists in Canada.

Working While Black: A discussion on recourse mechanisms for Black workers

The recent launch of a class action lawsuit on behalf of nearly 30,000 past and present federal public service workers who identify as Black, Caribbean or of African descent, has underlined the systemic discrimination Black workers face every day in the workplace. It raises the question: why do workplace recourse mechanisms for racism and racial discrimination often fail Black workers?

Join our expert panelists as we discuss this timely topic:

• Amarkai Laryea – PSAC Representation and Legal Services
• Doug Hill – PSAC Grievance & Adjudication Officer
• Samantha Peters – Lawyer, Educator and Advocate
• Craig Reynolds - PSAC Regional Executive Vice President – Ontario will moderate the discussion.

Sharon DeSousa, the PSAC National Vice-President, will open the session. 

We hope to unpack pertinent questions surrounding recourse mechanisms such as:

• What are the recourse mechanisms available to Black workers?
• Why are there so few successful cases of racism and racial discrimination?  
• How can we make recourse mechanism work better for Black workers?  

Bilingual Session: Thursday, February 11 at 3PM PST / 6PM EST / 7PM AST

We are asking all attendees to register in advance for this webinar.

The panel will be bilingual and simultaneously translated in English and French.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the panel discussion. All PSAC members and the public are welcome to attend.

A History of Black Labour Activists

Black workers have had a profound impact on building Canada’s economy and have helped push the labour movement to where it is today, yet their contributions are rarely acknowledged. Join us as we review a side of labour history that is rarely discussed and recognize the great work of many Black labour union activists.

Our panel of speakers:

• Marc-Édouard Joubert - Union Activist, FTQ
• Craig Reynolds – PSAC Regional Executive Vice President – Ontario
• Marie Clarke Walker - CLC, Secretary Treasurer
• Djimy Théodore, PSAC Quebec Region Equity Director will moderate the discussion.

Sharon DeSousa, the PSAC National Vice-President, will open the session. 

Bilingual Session: Monday, February 22 at 4PM PST / 7PM EST / 8PM ADT.

We are asking all attendees to register in advance for this webinar. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the panel discussion. All PSAC members and the public are welcome to attend.