Improving anti-racism accountability systems at the workplace

Improve cultural sensitivity programs and anti-Black racism training

Recommendation 11: The Ministry of Labour and the Public Service Agency should promote and implement anti-Black racism training for human resource managers and recruiters, both in the public and private sectors. This is particularly critical considering concerns of lack of racial diversity on hiring committees. It is recommended that the PSA introduce specific anti-black racism modules or courses alongside its current diversity and inclusion training.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems at the workplace

Enable data collection to measure and report progress in equity and diversity

Recommendation 12: The Ministry of Labour should ensure that the race-based data legislation provides sufficient authority to collect, share and use data to evaluate fairness and equity in the wages provided to workers of African descent. This is critical to promote genuine, fair and accountable anti-racism mechanisms, both in the private and public sectors, that have been identified as non-negotiable prerequisites in contextualizing anti-racism complaints.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems at the workplace

Enable data collection to measure and report progress in equity and diversity

Recommendation 13: The PSA should be provided with adequate authority under the race-based data legislation to collect, analyze and publish periodic reports on the number of People of African Descent across the public service and their relative distribution in leadership and strategic positions.

Deepening Black representation at the workplace

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 14: The Ministry of Labour and the BC Public Service Agency should embrace and champion equitable hiring practices such as blind hiring and interviewing to further increase fairness in recruitment. This is particularly critical for the PSA whose hiring practices have been strongly criticized by respondents and participants.

Deepening Black representation at the workplace

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 15: The Public Service Agency should commit to hiring more employees of African descent. At the very minimum, it is imperative that a People of African Descent youth internship program be implemented before the end of the Decade to recruit future People of African Descent graduates and undergraduates in jobs showing high demands for qualified workers at all skills levels. The PSA should also commit to support and establish a People of African Descent Leadership program that will provide dedicated mentoring, coaching and career development services to employees of African descent in middle-management positions.

Improving skills development and access to employment for PADs

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 16: The Ministry of Labour, The Ministry of Advanced Education, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery should work with employers, particularly those of African Descent, to provide dedicated employment, internship, volunteer and on the job training opportunities. This should include, but not be limited, to subsidized work placements opportunities for youth at risk.

Improving skills development and access to employment for PADs

Support PAD professional development

Recommendation 17: The Ministry of Labour should collaborate with People of African Descent community organizations to promote and fund People of African Descent-led mentorship, skills development, and leadership training programs for People of African Descent professionals and youth.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in healthcare

Improve cutltural sensitivity programs and anti-Black racism training

Recommendation 18: The Ministry of Health should work with regional health services, and professional the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, and The BC Nurses association to make reflective anti-Black racism and inter-cultural sensitivity training compulsory for all health professionals and students in health-related programmes.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in healthcare

Enable data collection to measure and report progress in equity and diversity

Recommendation 19: The Ministry of Health should ensure that the race-based data legislation provides sufficient authority to regional health services, professional healthcare practitioners bodies, and other health services providers to collect data on the number of People of African Descent in various health professions across BC to better understand existing gaps and deficits.

Deepening representaion in health services

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 20: The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Advanced Education should work with healthcare professionals of African descent and professional bodies to reform credential recognition and licensure systems to better accommodate seasoned healthcare professionals of African descent immigrating to Canada.