A group of workers’ rights organizations is calling for the removal of top executives in the federal public service, after an internal audit revealed a workplace culture of racial stereotyping, micro-aggressions and verbal violence within the Privy Council Office (PCO).
The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination — composed of several other groups representing public servants, including the Black Class Action Secretariat and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) — released an internal report from PCO on Monday, which it had obtained through an Access to Information request.
The audit and subsequent report was completed more than a year ago, according to the coalition of public servants, and shows what the coalition says is an entrenched and systemic culture of discrimination, where Black, Indigenous and racialized employees are often brought in to pad diversity numbers, but discouraged from speaking out and blocked from career advancement.