PACIFIC SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT
OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY
About the PSAEE
The PSAEE is a nonpartisan organization which is authorized under the Societies Act to further its purposes.
The present hiring processes adopted by the Public Service of Canada require reform so that citizens of colour can secure work in all levels of the Canadian government in diversified - socially significant roles which are impactful in Canadian society.
Our organization wants to see that qualified citizens of colour are able to get employment in the public service. We want to ensure that any citizen - irrespective of race, gender, religion, or sex - who wants to work in the public service can enter the public service and accumulate experience and develop personally as well as professionally. We are against any manner of functioning which serves to produce privilege and priority in hiring-process outcomes that is predicated on some protected characteristic under the Canadian Human Rights Act except where such consideration is extended to remove historical disadvantage to a social group as it is intended by the Employment Equity Act.
Purpose of the Organization
I. To develop legal capability to advance individual or group hiring discrimination cases before court
II. Administer specialized programs specifically designed to identify and remove administrative barriers faced by visible minority persons in gaining employment in the public service and tracking individual success/outcome for research purposes
III. To produce and disseminate knowledge on hiring processes and practices adopted within the public service and raise public awareness of issues through media, art, and research
IV. Help citizens formally challenge hiring decisions in any (1) internal or (2) external public service competition where there is reasonable concern over discrimination or procedural error
who we help
1) Must be a Canadian citizen
2) The matter must concern a public service competition (internal or external)
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
We will need all the support we can get to see the necessary changes to internal and external government hiring processes in Canada. By the current policies and practices of hiring, the merit of trained and able citizens is, in effect, being negated through administrative processing configurations. The PSAEE is aimed at formalizing the concerns of citizens of colour and assisting them with filing complaints and connecting them with lawyers wherever there arises a reasonable concern over fairness, discrimination, or error. We also offer specialized, targeted programs aimed at removing "the traditional" administrative barriers for citizens of colour who are looking for work in government. We want to see that the public service is moving in a direction towards a functionally representative governance which reflects the diverse Canadian population and the variances within it. We want to see the formation of a workforce which does not derive a sense of unity that is premised on ideas of a homogeneous workforce, but on a diverse one. The statistics, the lived experiences, and the visual observations all point to problems in the hiring process. These problems are present, but they do not need to be if there is a willingness and an earnestness to introduce a progressive change.
We are doing many things. Our organization wants to remove systemic barriers by developing a legal response foundation and capability which will allow individuals to challenge questionable decisions when they otherwise would have moved past without posing a justified line of inquiry or pursuing any form of formal action. Any donations we receive and any fundraising we engage in are all going to be aimed towards these important areas. We hope that the interests of diverse groups of citizens in working for the government are validated by employment offers by a public service of the future. We do not want to see citizens of colour being told that they did not talk, look, understand, and behave in a way consistent with the constructed measures of competence - standards which impose upon the very identity of citizens of colour. The concept of merit must be rethought to encompass the rich variance in interpersonal styles and different personalities which are found in the diverse Canadian population. We do not want the discretionary "right fit" judgment of HR to give preference to any race. All such concerns, to be clear, are questions of acceptance or rejection of identities in select spaces; they are concerns of 'control' over the distribution of identities in public offices. All citizens who are governed by the laws of the land must get fair and just opportunity to work in the public service if they so wish. Most importantly, we want a public service which demonstrates a "high" confidence in the institution of education for all citizens equally. We do not want to see citizens of colour with Bachelor's and Master's degrees from SFU, UVIC, UBC, and other well known universities being refused employment in government. All of these are problems at present, and we are doing our level best to further discussion on these issues and create the necessary changes.
It is very important that citizens of colour look to work and are able to get employment within the public service in socially significant roles and the PSAEE is here to help. I encourage anyone to write to us to express their concerns, views, and ideas - we consider all input. Thank you,
Sincerely,
Jay Krishan
about the director
Jay Krishan is actively engaged in discussions with a broad range of stakeholders concerning discrimination against citizens of colour in the Canadian public service hiring processes - particularly in sociologically significant roles (roles other than clerical, technical, or industrial).
Jay graduated from Simon Fraser University with a B.A. in Sociology. He holds various other credentials as well.
