Dear Prime Minister:
Re: Stop the Attack on Employment Equity
As Canadians who believe in a discrimination-free society, we are writing to express our grave concerns regarding recent comments made by the Hon. Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board, who insinuated that the Federal Employment Equity program is barring qualified Canadians from job opportunities in the federal public service.
We are equally dismayed by similar comments made by the Hon. Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, who stated that all Canadians should have an equal opportunity to work for their government based on merit, regardless of race or ethnicity, as if to suggest that unmerited candidates from racialized communities are taking over the jobs of qualified white candidates, thanks to affirmative action.
The truth, as you are well aware, is the opposite. Employment equity guarantees merit-based hiring because it removes artificial barriers to employment. All too often, qualified candidates from racialized communities do not get hired because of their race or ethnicity.
