Embracing Change in the Federal Public Service

Task Force on the Participation of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service

Copyright Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the President of the Treasury Board, 2000

Catalogue No. BT22-67/2000
ISBN 0-662-64875-7

This document is available at the following web address:
http://www.visiblepresence.com

Also available in alternative formats

March 2000

The Honourable Lucienne Robillard, P.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board

Dear Minister:

On behalf of the members of the Task Force on the Participation of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service, I hereby submit our action plan. We believe that it will enable the government to bring about the changes necessary to create a representative federal public service that inspires the confidence and trust of all Canadians.

We look forward to an early public release and expeditious implementation of the action plan. The tools are available to managers; the workforce is ready; the benchmarks are attainable. Now is the time for action.

We wish to thank you for the opportunity and the privilege of serving our country in this way and hope that our efforts will assist you in moving forward on this agenda.

Yours sincerely,

Lewis Perinbam, O.C.
(Chairperson)

(Members)
J.C. Best
Denise Chong
Marjorie M. David
Shawna Hoyte
Alain Jean-Bart
Audrey Kobayashi
Earl A. Miller
Henry K. Pau

Contents

Embracing Change 	 1

A Call for Leadership 	 2

The Action Plan 	 4
I.	Set a Benchmark 	 5
II.	Help Departments and Managers Achieve the Benchmark 	 7
III.	Change the Corporate Culture 	 11
IV.	Provide for Implementation and Accountability 	 14
V.	External Advice and Independent Review 	 17
VI.	Provide for Incremental Financial Resources 	 18

Background 	 19
The Canadian Reality and the Federal Public Service 	 19
How the Task Force Conducted its Work 	 20
Visible Minorities in Canada 	 21
Visible Minorities in the Public Service 	 21
The Task Force's Consultations 	 27
Learning from the Federal Experience in Bringing About Change 	 30
Changing the Corporate Culture or Getting the Numbers Up: Which Comes First? 	 33
Striving for a Representative Public Service 	 34
Conclusion 	 36

Appendices 	 37
I.	Task Force Mandate and Membership 	 38
II.	Distribution of Federal Public Service Employees by Selected
Departments 	 40
III.	Projected Impact of Proposed Benchmark on Recruitment 	 42
IV.	Projected Impact of Proposed Benchmark on Executive Feeder Groups and Executive Levels 	 44
V.	Public Service Commission Tools to Improve Employment Equity Representation 	 46

Acknowledgements 	 53

Embracing Change

As Canada enters a new century of potential and promise, it faces an urgent imperative to shape a federal public service that is representative of its citizenry. The public service has met this challenge before; it must do so again. Just as the greater presence of francophones and women enriches and enhances the public service, so too do visible minorities bring new dimensions and vitality to it.

The public service must be regarded by its citizenry as its own, not as the preserve of any particular group. It must be driven by the principle that what an individual can do on the job must matter more than his or her race or colour.

These considerations, together with the government's commitment to eliminating all forms of discrimination and to fairness and equity in the federal public service, prompted the former President of the Treasury Board, the Honourable Marcel Massé, to establish the Task Force on the Participation of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service. Mr. Massé's successor, the Honourable Lucienne Robillard, was quick to affirm her commitment to this initiative and to give it her wholehearted support.

The Task Force sought to develop an action plan to transform the public service into an institution that reflects all Canada's citizens and attracts them to its service to play a part in shaping the Canada of tomorrow. The plan is designed to harness the talents of all Canadians for the federal public service, not only to serve Canada's domestic needs, but also to meet the demands and opportunities of globalization. In a world of many cultures, Canada is particularly fortunate to have a population that is, in many ways, a microcosm of that world. It is a source of strength of the sort possessed by few other countries.

The action plan is realistic, pragmatic and attainable. It will require exemplary leadership and skill on the part of managers and employees at all levels; their goal should be to foster a federal public service whose members are assured of respect and fairness. The plan issues a call for leadership to embrace change, so that the public service can win the confidence and trust of all Canadians, become truly representative and become an employer of choice for a new generation of Canadians. The Task Force believes that the year 2000 can be a turning point in the history of the federal public service, when it takes up these challenges.

A Call for Leadership

Embracing change requires taking risk and managing it. The Task Force, asked to consider the participation of visible minorities in the federal public service, recognized that it faced a daunting task. Despite much effort on the part of the federal public service to address issues of employment equity, the problem of under-representation of visible minorities in the federal workforce has persisted. There is opportunity now, however, to make faster progress. The Task Force, after reflecting on the past, shifted its focus to the future. The following conclusions underpin the action plan and are a call for leadership:

1.	The federal public service does not reflect the diversity of the public it serves. Visible minorities remain under-represented while demographic trends indicate their number will grow in the Canadian population. Faster progress in changing the face of the public service is vital; at stake is the integrity of services and the respect the federal government needs to govern.

2.	As an employer, the federal government is not harnessing and nurturing talent as it should to compete in a new global environment. It must invest in human resources innovatively and be competitive with the private sector as an employer of choice in all its staffing activities, from outreach and recruitment to training and development and career advancement.

3.	The federal government has not achieved its legislated employment equity objectives and goals for visible minorities. With few exceptions, departments have not achieved an equitable workforce representation (i.e., representation is short of labour market availability). For visible minorities already in the public service, advancement to management and executive levels has virtually stalled.

4.	The slow progress has engendered frustration, discontent and cynicism about the future. Further delay -- or worse, inaction -- could result in complaints of discrimination and grievances that could revisit the lengthy and acrimonious arena of tribunal investigations and directives.

5.	A lack of government-wide commitment and leadership, and consequently, accountability at the top, has hampered progress. Commitment from deputy heads would motivate managers and others responsible for hiring and managing people to achieve the objective of modernizing the face of government as a whole.

6.	Changing the corporate culture so that it is hospitable to diversity is as essential as getting the numbers up. Both must move in concert. Diversity training must be available to all employees and translated into expected behaviour and attitudes in the workplace. Increasing the number of visible minorities in the workplace can create a "critical mass" to effect and sustain cultural change; the experience of francophones and women demonstrated this.

7.	The government has an opportunity in its recruitment drives to change the face of the public service. Downsizing has given way to recruitment to renew and rejuvenate an ageing public service. In recruiting from an increasingly diverse talent pool, the federal government cannot afford to lose more ground to the private sector.

8.	The time has come to focus on results. The federal government should establish a benchmark that, if achieved, would help make up ground in the representation of visible minorities. The purpose of setting a benchmark is to seize the opportunity to make progress over a short period. In proposing this approach, the Task Force does not seek quotas for visible minorities, nor does it wish to see them become entrenched as an employment equity group. The driving principle must be that what an individual can do on the job must matter more than his or her race or colour.

The Action Plan

The Task Force considered the issues surrounding participation of visible minorities in a context of changing the federal public service to improve it for all Canadians. In seeking to provide the federal government with a strategic instrument of change, it concentrated on action that, in addressing under-representation of visible minorities, would produce results within the next three to five years. Such quick results would have the effect both of making faster progress and of stimulating change for the longer term to enhance the quality of the federal workplace for all. The Task Force emphasizes that real progress comes only if visible minorities are present in occupations and at levels where they have previously been under-represented and excluded; tokenism and ghettoism must be avoided.

I. Set a Benchmark

The Task Force shares the federal government's view that progress has been unacceptably slow in improving the representation and advancement of visible minorities, so that it now lags behind the private and federally regulated sectors. The gaps between actual representation and labour market availability (LMA) have, for most departments, been persistent and widening. The problem of advancement is two-fold: (a) representation in the executive feeder group has shown little or no growth for a number of years; and (b) the appointment rate into the executive category falls disproportionately short compared to the feeder pool.

The federal public service has an opportunity now to make up ground in the representation of visible minorities in ways that will help to create an exemplary workplace. The imperative to renew and rejuvenate the public service is matched with the reality of a labour market that is diverse and becoming more so. The Task Force believes the time has come to step up efforts, namely, to pursue with determination, for a limited time, a benchmark for the recruitment and advancement of visible minorities.

A benchmark emphasizes results, and results generate the necessary momentum to sustain change. A benchmark should be achieved in the overall performance of the federal public service. Some departments will have further to go than others. Some leaders, however, challenge themselves and their organization to overachieve a target. Wanting to be at the forefront of change, they take risk, manage it and reap the concomitant rewards.

The Task Force sees Health Canada's response to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision as a demonstration that targets work when given the force of law. In that decision, the remedial measure called for a hiring rate of double the labour market availability. This was the same measure applied in a similar ruling, upheld by the Supreme Court, in the case of Action Travail des Femmes v. Canadian International Railway et al. (1987). The Task Force believes that departments do not want to find themselves being similarly overtaken by events and having to comply with legal directives. It observed that some departments, led by their deputy heads, have taken the initiative and made progress. Revenue Canada and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) made dramatic progress in the representation of, respectively, visible minorities in the workforce and Aboriginal peoples at executive levels. Such progress has made it easier for them to achieve further change while at the same time, improving service to their clientele.

The Task Force is convinced that, among deputy heads, there is a determination to take an approach that is results-driven. Given a mandate to determine benchmarks, the Task Force focussed on setting the benchmark low enough to be realistic and attainable for the government as a whole, but high enough to call forth creative and innovative responses from individual departments. It sought a benchmark that was simple and easily understood, and that had breadth, in that it would apply to all departments, and depth, in that it would embrace all activities from entry to executive levels.

Set a benchmark of 1 in 5 for visible minority participation government-wide:

1.	A 1 in 5 share of external recruitment for term (in excess of three months) and indeterminate appointments, to be attained as an annual rate by 2003;

2.	A 1 in 5 share of acting appointments at the levels of executive feeder groups, to be attained as an annual rate by 2005;

3.	A 1 in 5 share of entry into executive feeder groups and executive levels to be attained as an annual rate by 2005.

	The Task Force believes that a benchmark of 1 in 5 is achievable for recruitment into the public service as a whole. A rate of 1 in 5 matches the rate in 1998 of visible minority applicants in general recruitment (20.6 per cent) and is well within the rate in 1998 of visible minority applicants in post-secondary recruitment (30.2 per cent).  Because the federal public service makes appointments into executive levels overwhelmingly by internal promotion, recruitment does not address the acute under-representation at those levels. The 1 in 5 benchmark is applied, therefore, over a longer period of five years to acting appointments and to entry into executive feeder groups and executive levels. The former is a critical proving ground; the latter will be achieved by a combination of external recruitment and internal training and promotion.

II. Help Departments and Managers Achieve the Benchmark

In accordance with their legislated obligation to implement employment equity, departments regard representation as a matter of bringing their visible minority population to the level of LMA relevant to the occupational categories and locales of their department. The Task Force emphasizes that "closing the gap" is chasing a historical figure; the LMA represents how the federal workforce should have looked in 1996. Some departments mistakenly see the LMA as a ceiling; it was intended as a floor to measure performance. Other departments have exceeded the LMA in certain occupational categories but have not stopped recruiting. Achieving employment equity, therefore, requires striving for greater than the LMA to account for the historical lag in the measure and to take advantage of the larger recruitment pool available if hiring were expanded beyond local markets.

The benchmark of 1 in 5 has flexibility in two important ways: (1) departments have time, in the three- and five-year horizons, to achieve that annual rate of performance; and (2) departments can devise strategies and set targets to achieve the benchmark that are adapted to their particular corporate situation. Departments can determine where and how they can best make faster progress and direct their managers accordingly.

Managers, burdened by their day to day workloads, may resist yet another approach to employment equity. Some may question whether "enough" qualified visible minority applicants exist. Some may not know how to tap into wider recruitment pools. Others may need training in interview and selection techniques in order to recruit from a diverse candidate pool. The Task Force believes that, with education, managers will see opportunity rather than obstacles. It will require human resources specialists to work in step with managers and to advise them on employment equity policy, including whether or not their practices conform. Managers, assisted by human resources practitioners, should do more outreach and recruitment and do so innovatively. Recruitment pools must be larger, and referral, interview and appointment processes must work to the same objective, namely, allowing more qualified visible minorities to be appointed.

Help departments and managers make progress toward and achieve the benchmark:

1.	Share the experience and approaches of other departments and of federally regulated and private sector companies and organizations.  Individual departments to adapt such experiences and approaches to their corporate environments and requirements.

	Departments can learn much from each other and from federally regulated and private sector companies and organizations that report to the Labour Standards and Workplace Equity Directorate at Human Resources Development Canada. Research can also be shared. For example, Transport Canada is undertaking diagnostic studies to probe reasons for low application and appointment rates for particular occupations and positions. These experiences and approaches may need to be adapted; what works for one department may not fit another's corporate environment or needs.

2.	Educate managers about:

	(a)	human resources policy and practices and, within that context, employment equity policy and practices;

	(b)	labour markets and equip them to do labour market analysis;

	(c)	the existing array of Public Service Commission tools for targeted recruitment and appointment.

	Some managers are unfamiliar with existing federal human resources policy and programs and, within that context, employment equity. They may not be apprised of demographic and labour market trends. They will have to be confident that they have the policy and program tools at hand to help them attract and appoint more visible minorities. The Task Force concluded the issue is not that there are not enough tools or that they are ineffective; rather, managers are often either unaware of them or do not know how to use them. (For a list of existing PSC tools, see Appendix V.)

3.	Widen the applicant pool by:

	(a)	expanding the geographic area of selection to reach larger recruitment pools;

	Widening the applicant pool has been shown to improve the appointment rate of visible minorities. Managers may have to expand the area of selection. Besides opening a competition to residents of a local area (typically within a certain radius), they would expand it to invite visible minority applicants from another urban centre or a wider region, including province-wide, or broader, to the national level.

	(b)	making use of Public Service Commission inventories of visible minority applicants;

	Some regional offices of the Public Service Commission maintain inventories of qualified visible minority applicants. The Task Force believes every regional office should maintain and encourage use of such inventories.

	(c)	making financial provision to assist managers to meet increased relocation costs.

	Managers often cite the non-payment of relocation expenses as a reason for limiting the geographic area of selection. While some candidates will be willing to move at their own expense, some will not or cannot. Financial provision should be made to pay such expenses for successful candidates.

4.	Ensure qualified visible minority applicants are referred rather than screened out:

	In analyzing under-representation, the Public Service Commission noted the dramatic difference between application and appointment rates of visible minorities. In 1998, against an application rate for general recruitment of 20.6 per cent, the appointment rate was 4.1 per cent. Such a dramatic fall-off calls into question the practical application of the merit principle.

	(a)	review the criteria for selected positions;

	There is a pressing need to review criteria particularly where there is a dearth of applicants or of referred visible minority candidates. Some criteria may be outdated or not bona fide, serving a purpose for which they were not intended, that is, to manage the volume of applicants. In less senior positions in regions where the federal government is one of the largest employers, as in Halifax, the designation of positions as bilingual imperative should be reviewed. Generally, with respect to such positions, departments should regard language training as an investment in an otherwise qualified candidate. For example, in Quebec, accent should not be a consideration in evaluating language level related to linguistic proficiency and, thus, suitability for the job.

	(b)	hire for competencies, including new competencies, rather than for position alone.

	Departments should consider the example of the private sector, where, to respond to the increasingly global nature of work, companies are hiring for new competencies rather than for position alone. Hiring for competencies may overcome historical biases toward certain credentials or qualifications.

5.	Ensure the integrity of the selection process:

	(a)	establish corporate inventories of visible minorities available for selection board duties; those inventories to include members from the private sector;

	(b)	provide training for visible minorities within the public service for selection board duties.

	Corporate inventories should be established of visible minorities for selection board duties, and more should be trained for such duties. Those inventories should include members from the private sector. Outside members would help compensate for the internal shortage until visible minorities have a greater presence in management. More important, a third-party presence will introduce a perspective distinct from existing management.

6.	Use innovative recruitment and outreach approaches:

	The Task Force notes few departments are involved in outreach; many more should be to prepare for the coming recruitment drives and because of expected exits alone (the average age of all employees in the public service is 42.5 years, and that of executives is 49.3 years).

	(a)	establish corporate inventories of visible minority employees who could participate in recruitment drives and outreach activities;

	(b)	establish partnerships with other departments or with the private sector in recruitment and outreach activities.

	Departments should send on outreach activities the same kinds of employees as those they are seeking. For example, if a department wishes to attract energetic, motivated visible minority youth, those it sends out on outreach should reflect those same qualities.

III. Change the Corporate Culture

The Task Force grappled with which comes first, changing the culture or changing the numbers. It concluded that they should move in concert. The federal government must make this happen by staking out ground as an employer of choice and as a workplace of choice. This approach will speed the end of temporary corrective measures.

Signal that the federal government is striving to be an employer of choice and to create an exemplary workplace:

1.	Reinforce a positive brand image of the public service as a competitive employer.

	Many potential recruits have a negative perception of the federal public service as a place to work. The federal government must counter that by identifying advantageous aspects of public service employment and promoting them in recruitment practices.

2.	Articulate the objectives of human resources policy, and within that, employment equity and diversity, as critical to the mission of the federal government.

	Departments have begun the process of integrating diversity into human resources planning and human resources planning into departmental business plans. It should be in place, quickly, government-wide. The federal government must do what the private and federally regulated sectors do well: integrate diversity into the way business is done and have human resources personnel working alongside front-line managers. Like the private sector, the federal government should regard a diverse workforce as an asset, not as an accommodation.

3.	Integrate diversity into the employee curriculum:

	Changing the face of the federal public service is not only about external marketing; the public service must believe it internally.

	(a)	deputy heads to be the champions;

	The Task Force noted examples in the private sector where the chief executive officer is championing diversity. Some head a corporate committee on diversity. Others personally pick up the telephone to call a potential university recruit. The Task Force urges deputy heads to reflect on their own leadership: Is there a visible minority presence on their senior management committees?

	(b)	establish managing diversity as a core competency of management;

	Several private sector companies have established a leadership competency related to diversity. The federal government should train managers so that they acquire knowledge and develop skills associated with managing a diverse workforce. Leadership development programs should be designed to support managers in this respect.

	(c)	extend diversity training to all employees, and relate training to workplace operations.

	Training to combat stereotyped attitudes toward differences must be translated into operational terms; the objective should be to motivate managers and employees to be self-policing in the workplace.

4.	Establish interdepartmental programs for career and leadership development for promising new recruits and existing employees. Such programs to provide for:

	(a)	mentoring;
	(b)	rotational assignments;
	(c)	training;
	(d)	appointment to level rather than position.

	The competitive advantage of the federal public service over the private sector is that it offers recruits a breadth of opportunity and experience of the sort not readily available in the private sector. Since departments are concerned narrowly with their own workforces, that strength is not realized. The federal public service should offer a career-path program for recruits and existing employees of promise. Greater use should be made of models where appointments are to level rather than position, such as the foreign service officer classification and the accelerated economist program. In creating similar talent pools, departments could collaborate by location or by "communities" of occupations (e.g., the Public Service Commission's recent regrouping of occupations) and provide candidates with rotational assignments, training and mentoring. To quote a slogan from a large private sector accounting and consulting firm: "Work where you're going to grow".

5.	Establish short-term (one to two years) youth internships to offer exposure to the executive levels of the public service, as well as international assignments.

	The federal government should offer innovative internship programs, which would also help it compete head to head with the private sector.

6.	Apply the benchmark of 1 in 5, to be attained by 2003, for visible minority participation in management development programs from entry to executive levels, program activity at the Canadian Centre for Management Development, and any new career path programs and internships. Where a shortfall exists, provision to be made for external recruitment.

	The 1 in 5 benchmark should apply to visible minority participation in management developmental programs, both corporate-wide and internal to departments (e.g., the Management Trainee Program, Interchange Canada, and the Career Assignment Program) and be achieved within three years. These programs rely on self-nomination and selection by merit. Provision should be made and resources provided to recruit externally for those programs where internal processes do not generate a 1 in 5 rate of participation.

7.	Intensify efforts to attract a new generation of visible minority Canadian youth to the federal public service.

	Today's college and university graduates have a wide range of career choices and opportunities, notably in the private sector. The federal public service must intensify its campus recruitment, including targeting specific faculties, and must offer attractive work and career development options. It is unlikely to persuade this new generation to enter the public service if it does not do so.

IV. Provide for Implementation and Accountability

The action plan can be integrated readily into the existing framework for employment equity under the aegis of the Treasury Board Secretariat. Within this context, the Treasury Board Secretariat consults with the bargaining agents, and departments develop employment equity plans, track their own performance on training and development, annually forward data on representation and report progress to the Treasury Board Secretariat for inclusion in the President's annual report to Parliament. In addition, the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) undertakes audits of legislative obligations.

The Task Force envisages that departments would incorporate the action plan in their annual employment equity planning and formulate human resources strategies and objectives accordingly. It recognizes that departments will have varying ability to recruit from areas with higher concentrations of visible minorities. Depending on their occupational profiles, some may be able to make rapid progress recruiting for certain occupational groups, which would compensate for slower progress in other groups. Some may have greater success in recruiting externally at the managerial level, which will have the effect of expanding networks and creating a dynamo effect in later years.

The Task Force focussed on how to ensure progress is made. Each department must strive for year-over-year progress. The federal government should strive, overall, not only to attain, but to surpass the benchmark. The action plan envisages heightened roles for the Clerk of the Privy Council, the Secretary of the Treasury Board and the President of the Public Service Commission to: (a) identify where strategic progress can be made; (b) encourage and monitor progress; and, (c) where progress is not achieved, guide departments accordingly.

Strengthen the existing implementation and accountability framework:

1.	Make the action plan top-driven. Formulate the objective of achieving a representative public service into annual goals and include those goals as a key commitment in the performance accords struck between the Clerk of the Privy Council and deputy heads. These goals must be measurable and form part of pay-at-risk compensation.

	Leadership and accountability must rest with the deputy head community. In turn, deputies can translate this commitment to their own managers. In formulating their objectives, they may also wish to set targets, so that those responsible for managing and hiring receive clear results-oriented objectives, against which their own performance will be judged.

2.	Provide for the Committee of Senior Officials (COSO), a committee of deputy heads chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council, to oversee implementation of the action plan.

	COSO should be responsible for identifying where strategic progress can be made within the government. This work should be supported by an existing unit within the Privy Council Office and coincide with COSO's ongoing work to give meaning to the concepts of employer of choice and workplace of choice.

3.	The Public Service Commission to assist departments to achieve progress. The Commission to be responsible also for developing and administering an annual national awards program related to the action plan for the next five years to recognize individuals who make exemplary effort and achieve exemplary progress.

	The Public Service Commission can assist in practical ways: help managers to understand the goals of the action plan; use the flexibility that exists; and make maximum use of tools and innovative recruitment practices. Success depends on individual effort and innovative approaches and should be recognized and rewarded. The Task Force sees the Commission, with its regional offices, as well placed to administer an annual national awards program tied to the goals of the action plan. The jury could include a representative from the newly constituted National Council of Visible Minorities and a representative from the private sector.

4.	The Treasury Board Secretariat to provide strategic advice and assist departments to collaborate with each other and to evaluate annual progress by departments. If no progress is made, the Treasury Board Secretariat to work alongside those departments to establish agreed-upon targets.

	The Treasury Board Secretariat can also assist departments to draw upon the expertise of other departments and agencies. The Treasury Board Secretariat Advisory Committee (TBSAC), a committee of deputy heads chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury Board, should also monitor and evaluate annual progress by departments.

5.	In their annual employment equity reporting to the Treasury Board Secretariat, departments also to include reporting on progress on elements in the action plan. Such progress to be included in the President's annual report to Parliament on employment equity. The Treasury Board Secretariat should make provision for concurrent feedback by affected groups.

	The more transparent the reporting on the action plan, the stronger the signal the public service sends of its determination to achieve progress. Each department's annual report, as measured against the goals of the action plan, should coincide with its annual reporting on employment equity in the report to Parliament by the President of the Treasury Board. The National Council of Visible Minorities may wish to comment annually on progress to the President of the Treasury Board. The public service unions may wish to do the same.

V. External Advice and Independent Review

The Task Force believes that external advice is essential to sustain momentum for change. Because the objectives of the action plan are not legislated, they do not necessarily fall within the mandate of CHRC in its annual departmental audits. The Task Force believes that an independent review should be conducted after three years. Such a review also gives the public an opportunity to comment on the federal government's progress in changing the face of government.

Provide for external advice and independent review:

1.	The Secretary of the Treasury Board to appoint a three-member external advisory group for five years.

	This group would advise the Secretary of the Treasury Board on implementation and ways for the federal public service to keep pace with progress in the private and other sectors. The group should include a member from the private sector in a position of management.

2.	At the end of three years, the President of the Treasury Board to provide for an independent review of progress either by appointing an external body or by requesting a special audit by the Auditor General.

VI. Provide for Incremental Financial Resources

The Task Force believes that the action plan can achieve progress toward a representative public service only if its employment equity measures are integrated into mainstream human resources programs and activities. This will require some shifting of priorities and resources within and between existing programs and activities. Treasury Board should set aside an annual reserve to assist in funding programs and activities in the action plan that are either less easily accommodated within existing budgetary allocations for human resources, or are outside the mandates of existing programs and activities.

Provide a reserve to assist in implementation of the action plan:

1.	The additional activity generated by the action plan to be accommodated under the existing funding authority of mainstream human resources programs and activities. The Treasury Board to set aside a reserve of ten million dollars annually for the next five years to assist in implementing the action plan.

	The Task Force foresees that additional financial resources may be needed to fund start-up activities under the action plan. It considers, however, that neither the management nor the costs of such programs are onerous. The Treasury Board Secretariat should manage a reserve to assist in implementation. This would fund, for example, new interdepartmental programs for career and leadership development, new youth internships and new management programs offered by the Canadian Centre for Management Development within the context of the action plan.

Background

The Canadian Reality and the Federal Public Service

Recent decades have witnessed, as have few periods in Canada's history, dramatic change in the country's demographic profile. Canada has been transformed from a society with predominantly European roots into one that embraces many cultures and traditions. One Canadian in nine is a member of a visible minority group. In the 1996 census, visible minorities numbered more than three million. Two million came as immigrants; one million are Canadian by birth.

Canadians live with diversity as a Canadian reality. They see diversity when they visit their children's classrooms, turn on multicultural television channels, read a brochure from the City of Toronto that is written in thirteen languages, or ask for Revenue Canada's help, available in some 20 languages, in completing their tax returns.

The federal public service is supposed to serve all Canadians, yet its workforce does not reflect the diversity of the Canadian population. Visible minorities are under-represented. In 1999 (end of fiscal year) one in 17 employees in the federal public service was a member of a visible minority group. Visible minorities are almost invisible in the management and executive categories; they account for one in 33. In 1999, of a total of 298 new executive appointments, 19 were visible minorities, of whom 5 were women.

In contrast, the private sector has been quick to recognize the capabilities and potential of visible minorities. The federally regulated sector (mainly banks, airlines, railways and communications) raised the visible minority representation in its workforce from 6 per cent to 9.9 per cent between 1997 and 1998. In 1999, visible minorities made up 16.7 per cent of Scotiabank's workforce. Of its management and executive ranks respectively, 10 per cent and 5 per cent were visible minorities.

Visible minorities are:
1 in 9 in Canada
1 in 17 among all employees in the federal public service
1 in 16 among men in the federal public service
1 in 17 among women in the federal public service
1 in 33 among management in the federal public service

Figures do not tell the whole story. The federal public service, which can be inhospitable to outsiders, can be particularly so to visible minorities. A tribunal under the auspices of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) ruled in 1997 on a case involving Health Canada and found evidence of systemic discrimination at several levels in the department's workplace. Just as the United Nations has acclaimed Canada as "the best country in the world in which to live", so too must the federal public service live up to being one of the best in the world.

How the Task Force Conducted its Work

The problems of under-representation and adverse workplace conditions for visible minorities are well documented. A wealth of commissioned studies, dating to the Report of the Commission on Equality in Employment (1984), by Judge Rosalie Silberman Abella, enunciate a strikingly similar array of issues of systemic discrimination in the workplace. These studies include extensive discussion of barriers both real and perceived. Many offer recommendations. Over the years, various advisory and advocacy groups have been established. Foremost among them is the National Capital Alliance on Race Relations (NCARR). Most recently, following a national conference in Ottawa in October 1999, the National Council of Visible Minorities was established to give visible minorities in the public service a stronger voice.

Within the federal public service, the CHRC conducts audits of federal departments to determine whether they are in compliance with their legislated employment equity obligations.

In November 1999, the federal government released the results of the Public Service Employee Survey, the first-ever comprehensive survey of workplace conditions and attitudes conducted across all departments.

From these various sources, the Task Force gained valuable insight into the scope of the problem of under-representation, and turned its attention to finding solutions.

In the limited time available, the Task Force consulted as many stakeholders as possible inside and outside the federal government. They included groups and individuals in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa-Hull, as well as representatives of federal departments and public service unions. It also liaised with the Task Force on an Inclusive Public Service appointed by the President of the Treasury Board.

The Task Force was supported by a small secretariat in the Treasury Board Secretariat and relied on the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Public Service Commission for statistical and technical support. As well, the Treasury Board Secretariat made available officials from various departments to act as a sounding board for the Task Force as it formulated its action plan. The Task Force made presentations to two committees of deputy heads, to the Treasury Board Secretariat Advisory Committee (TBSAC), chaired by the then Secretary of the Treasury Board, V. Peter Harder, and to the Committee of Senior Officials (COSO), chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council, Mel Cappe.

Visible Minorities in Canada

The visible minority population of Canada stood at 1.6 million in the 1986 census. By the 1996 census, that population had doubled to 3.2 million, or 11.2 per cent of Canada's population. Of the visible minority population, two out of three came as immigrants. Generally, 85 per cent of immigrants become Canadian citizens, more than 75 per cent within five years of landing.

Immigrants head for the large cities. More than 40 per cent of Canada's visible minorities live in Toronto. That city, together with Vancouver and Montreal, is home to 72 per cent of visible minorities. Among Canadian cities, the circumstances of visible minorities in Halifax are a special and distressing case. Almost seven per cent of Halifax's population are visible minorities, many of whom are of African descent and whose families have lived in Nova Scotia for generations. They continue to suffer racial discrimination, especially with respect to employment.

The population trend of visible minorities in Canada is upward; the annual immigration target for the year 2000 is 200,000 to 225,000, of whom some 130,000 are to be skilled workers or business immigrants. Even if these targets are not met (immigration was 10 per cent below target in 1998 and 1999), about a half-million immigrants will join the Canadian workforce by 2006.

Visible Minorities in the Public Service

Representation and distribution issues

The federal government has some 60 departments and agencies, with 178,000 employees. In accordance with federal employment equity legislation, the visible minority workforce of each of those departments and agencies should be at least equal to labour market availability (LMA) as calculated by department according to census data. For each designated group under the legislation -- visible minorities, women, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities -- departments are required to make progress in bringing their departmental representation to the level of LMA. With few exceptions, with respect to visible minority representation, gaps persist relative to the departmental LMAs (see Appendix II for a listing of the representation of visible minorities and LMA by department).

Visible Minorities in Canada's Cities

Census Metropolitan Areas

Toronto
	Total Population:  4,232,905
	Visible Minority Population:  31.6%

Vancouver
	Total Population:  1,813,935
	Visible Minority Population:  31.1%

Calgary
	Total Population:  815,985
	Visible Minority Population:  15.6%

Edmonton
	Total Population:  854,225
	Visible Minority Population:  13.5%

Montreal
	Total Population:  3,287,645
	Visible Minority Population:  12.2%

Ottawa-Hull
	Total Population:  1,000,935
	Visible Minority Population:  11.5%

Winnipeg
	Total Population:  660,055
	Visible Minority Population:  11.1%

Halifax
	Total Population:  329,750
	Visible Minority Population:  6.8%

Regina
	Total Population:  191,485
	Visible Minority Population:  5.4%

Saint John
	Total Population:  124,215
	Visible Minority Population:  2.1%

Census Municipality

Scarborough, ONT
	Total Population:  554,525
	Visible Minority Population:  52%

Richmond, BC
	Total Population:  148,150
	Visible Minority Population:  49%

Markham, ONT
	Total Population:  172,735
	Visible Minority Population:  46%

City of Vancouver, BC
	Total Population:  507,930
	Visible Minority Population:  45%

North York, ONT
	Total Population:  584,675
	Visible Minority Population:  40%

Burnaby, BC
	Total Population:  176,825
	Visible Minority Population:  39%

Saint-Laurent, QUE
	Total Population:  73,760
	Visible Minority Population:  36%

York, ONT
	Total Population:  145,785
	Visible Minority Population:  34%

Mississauga, ONT
	Total Population:  542,450
	Visible Minority Population:  34%

Richmond Hill, ONT
	Total Population:  101,480
	Visible Minority Population:  33%

Selected Census Subdivisions in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area

Brossard
	Total Population:  65,660
	Visible Minority Population:  26.2%

Dollard-des-Ormeaux
	Total Population:  47,660
	Visible Minority Population:  25.8%

Pierrefonds
	Total Population:  52,660
	Visible Minority Population:  21.6%

Montreal
	Total Population:  998,780
	Visible Minority Population:  20.4%

Montreal-Nord
	Total Population:  80,220
	Visible Minority Population:  18.6%

Lasalle
	Total Population:  71,420
	Visible Minority Population:  17.8%

Mont-Royal
	Total Population:  18,010
	Visible Minority Population:  15.9%

Kirkland
	Total Population:  18,670
	Visible Minority Population:  15.8%

Saint-Leonard
	Total Population:  71,085
	Visible Minority Population:  15.3%

Roxboro
	Total Population:  5,935
	Visible Minority Population:  15.2%

Source: Statistics Canada, 1996 Census of Population.

Visible minorities are under-represented in the public service as a whole; in 1999 the public service-wide population of visible minorities was 5.9 per cent of all employees, well short of the LMA of 8.7 per cent (based on 1996 census data) for the public service as a whole. The Public Service Commission forecasted the hiring rates required for groups designated under the Employment Equity Act to reach the LMA by a given year. To achieve LMA by the year 2005, the hiring rate for visible minorities would have to rise, beginning in fiscal 1999-2000, from its historical average (1990 to 1999) of 7.1 per cent to 20.1 per cent, or, from about 1 in 15 to 1 in 5. If the historical rate of recruitment of visible minorities continues, it will take more than two and a half decades to reach LMA as defined by the 1996 census.

Some statistics show advances for visible minorities over the last decade. In the late 1980s visible minorities numbered about 6,000 in the federal public service and accounted for about 3 per cent of the workforce. By 1990, the visible minority population was 7,583, or 3.5 per cent. At the end of fiscal 1999, the population stood at 10,557, or 5.9 per cent.

Two factors, other than recruitment, help to explain the rise in percentage terms: this decade has seen the total workforce of the public service shrink from about 218,000 to 178,000 employees; and more visible minorities already in the public service are stepping forward to self-identify.

Other figures reveal a different picture:

*	In 1998-1999, visible minorities received 19 of the 646 promotions involving the executive category. Four out of 38 external recruits into the executive group were visible minorities.

*	Of 42 departments (with 200 or more employees), only four have surpassed a representation of 8.7 per cent for visible minorities.

*	Visible minorities are concentrated in four departments: Revenue Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada and Health Canada. They accounted for 56.5 per cent of all visible minority employees in 1999. In contrast, these departments accounted for 43.9 per cent of the public service workforce.

*	Of those departments, Revenue Canada employed 35 per cent of the visible minorities in the public service in 1999. In November of that year, Revenue Canada became a separate agency (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency); taking Revenue Canada out of current public service statistics would drop the total representation of visible minorities from 5.9 per cent to 5.0 per cent.

The overall population numbers mask a disturbing problem of distribution. Visible minorities start to disappear as a presence in the workforce at the more senior levels. This was portrayed in earlier federal reports (Breaking through the Visibility Ceiling (1992) and Distortions in the Mirror (1993)) as "now you see them...now you don't". Since 1991, the population of visible minorities in "feeder" groups for the executive category (EX) has languished between 6 and 6.5 per cent. In the top ten feeder groups, visible minority members account for only 3.4 per cent. Rates of promotion vary widely, favouring some occupation groups, such as economists, sociologists and statisticians, over others.

In 1999, 103 of the 3,421 public servants in the EX category were visible minorities. That share is mired at 3 per cent and compares with a current 6.5 per cent share in the feeder groups. The federal objective of equitable representation of designated group members at executive levels is achieved when their share of executive positions and their share of the feeder groups are about equal. Other designated groups have closed their respective gaps. (Actual executive population numbers for persons with disabilities and Aboriginal peoples remain dismally small, however.)

The visible minority population is also clustered by occupational category. According to an interdepartmental study of the 22,000-strong science and technical community in the federal public service (Visible Minorities in the Scientific and Technical Occupations (1998)), of all visible minority employees, 24 per cent are in those occupations, far greater than the 10 per cent of all public service employees. The study found visible minorities to be concentrated in selected occupational groups, namely chemistry, engineering and land survey, pharmacy and scientific research. Health Canada, at 10.1 per cent, had the highest representation of visible minorities in these occupations, exceeding the 5.9 per cent representation across the federal workforce, but short of the 12.2 per cent representation in Canada's science labour force as a whole.

The interdepartmental study also revealed uneven hiring by departments in various categories. While visible minorities were well represented in biological sciences at Health Canada (14.2 per cent of employees compared with the external labour force of 11.5 per cent), they numbered only 9 out of 331 employees at Fisheries and Oceans, and there were none at Environment Canada.

Reports cited earlier (1992 and 1993) referred to the scientific and professional category as a "visibility trap". Employees in those categories were in positions "from which they do not proceed into management positions". Yet they were identified as being at "feeder" levels. They had hit a glass ceiling.

The need for gender balance

Women in the public service have faced negative attitudes and stereotyping and have been consistently undervalued. Visible minority women face "double jeopardy". Accordingly, there must be equal emphasis on cultural and gender sensitivities in efforts to improve their representation and the climate of the workplace. Among women in the public service, 5.8 per cent are visible minorities.

Visible minority women have furthest to catch up in executive ranks: of 3,421 executives in the federal public service in 1999, 919 were women, of whom 23 were visible minority women. Of women in the executive feeder groups, visible minorities make up 5 per cent (355 of 7,016). Visible minority men comprise 7 per cent of all men in the  feeder population (1,145 of 16,259). Expressed another way, in the feeder groups, for every visible minority woman, there are three visible minority men; for every non-visible minority woman, there are two non-visible minority men.

EX and EX-Feeder Population for Visible Minorities by Gender
Fiscal Years 1997-98 and 1998-99

Note:  EX-Feeder are persons in some 170 classifications below executive levels  (i.e., EX minus 1 and EX minus 2 or with EX equivalent salaries)

Source: Employment Equity Division, Treasury Board Secretariat.

Public Service Employee Survey 1999

Survey questions

53.	In my work unit, every individual, regardless of his or her race, colour, gender or disability would be/is accepted as an equal member of the team.

	Response:  Strongly/mostly agree
	All respondents:  87%
	Visible minorities:  75%

59. 	I have experienced discrimination in my work unit.

	Response:  Yes
	All respondents:  18%
	Visible minorities:  33%

60. 	I have experienced harassment in my work unit.

	Response:  Yes
	All respondents:  20%
	Visible minorities:  25%

72. 	I have opportunities to develop and apply the skills I need to enhance my career.

	Response:  Strongly/mostly agree
	All respondents:  61%
	Visible minorities: 54%

78. 	I believe I have a fair chance of getting a promotion, given my skills and experience.

	Response:  Strongly/mostly agree
	All respondents:  43%
	Visible minorities: 36%

96. 	I am satisfied with my career in the Public Service.

	Response:  Strongly/mostly agree
	All respondents:  69%
	Visible minorities: 58%

Source: Public Service Employee Survey 1999.

Workplace conditions and attitudes

The November 1999 Public Service Employee Survey results give employers and employees a first comprehensive look at how visible minorities perceive the federal workplace. The survey was particularly revealing where there were significant differences between the degree of dissatisfaction or satisfaction expressed by visible minorities and that reported by public service employees as a whole. Such differences were more accentuated in some departments than in others.

Issues regarding self-identification

Departments often cite the voluntary process of self-identification, which generates counts of visible minorities, as biasing representation numbers downward because some employees who belong to a visible minority group would rather not self-identify or do not bother to do so. This is no reason to stall or delay implementation of employment equity. The Task Force noted that, as with companies in the private sector, some departments are more successful than others in encouraging self-identification. For example, in 1998, the Canadian International Development Agency made considerable effort to communicate the importance and the advantages of participating in the agency's self-identification survey. As a consequence, the response rate to the survey was 81 per cent, an increase from 23 per cent in an earlier survey.

The Task Force noted that in the 1999 Public Service Employee Survey, 7.2 per cent of respondents checked "yes" to being a visible minority. Given the methodological problems in using representation figures from anonymous surveys, that figure cannot be construed or extrapolated to represent the population of visible minorities in the public service as a whole, nor can it replace the use of official self-identification statistics.

The Task Force's Consultations

The Task Force focussed on two groups of stakeholders: those who will manage change and those most affected by change. The overwhelming message was that employment equity for visible minorities was studies-rich, and results-poor. The Task Force repeatedly asked why progress has been slow.

In general, the Task Force sensed frustration about the public service as a place to work and heard confirmation that the private sector was often the employer of choice. Certainly, in the past years of downsizing, federal public service hiring rates dropped and prospects for promotion declined. As a result, an environment conducive to retrenchment was reinforced.

The Task Force heard repeatedly about a corporate culture permeated with attitudes best summed up in the often used, and perhaps misunderstood, phrase "systemic discrimination". Racism can be intentional. As expressed in two Supreme Court judgements, much systemic discrimination, however, is unintentional.

The Supreme Court of Canada, in Action Travail des Femmes v. Canadian National Railway et al. (1987), wrote:

...systemic discrimination in an employment context is discrimination that results from the simple operation of established procedures of recruitment, hiring and promotion, none of which is necessarily designed to promote discrimination. (emphasis added)

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, in its decision in the Health Canada case brought by the National Capital Alliance on Race Relations (NCARR) and the CHRC, wrote:

The essential element then of systemic discrimination is that it results from the unintended consequences of established systems and practices. Its effect is to block employment opportunities and benefits for members of certain groups. Since the discrimination is not motivated by a conscious act, it is more subtle to detect and it is necessary to look at the consequences or the results of the particular employment system. (emphasis added)

Managers said:
"Unless their first language is English, the verbal and writing
skills of visible minorities are not top-notch."
"They are not in the loop."
"They don't know how to make the most of opportunities."
"They don't know the process."
"They won't move outside the cities."
"We don't know what they can do."
"We do things differently and it scares them."

The Task Force met with human resources personnel and middle-level managers across Canada. It recognized that middle management is where most decisions on hiring and initial promotions are made and the workforce culture instilled.

From visible minority employees, the Task Force heard numerous charges of systemic discrimination along the lines of "old boys' club". Visible minorities across the country expressed dismay about the lack of recognition of foreign degrees and credentials and about the scarcity of visible minorities on selection boards. Visible minority employees were concerned that the delegation of authority to departments for implementing employment equity has not been accompanied by appropriate provisions for accountability and that, as a result, systemic discrimination may remain embedded. They also believe many managers are either unaware of government policy on employment equity and workplace diversity, or disregard it as they hire and promote.

Visible minority employees said:
"Decision-makers don't see any need to make faster progress."
"There's no penalty when a manager doesn't make the effort."
"Managers are apprehensive about our ability to manage."
"No one reflects you at the top."
"People hire like; naturally, they think it's less of a risk."
"Managers don't view employment equity as important."
"The public service is still a career of choice, yet we can't get in the door."

The consultations in Montreal produced different concerns and elicited harsh comments about "resistance by staffers who make decisions to exclude visible minorities". Visible minorities complained that they lacked information about opportunities and openings, and they perceived resistance in the federal public service to participation of visible minorities. Employees saw managers as enjoying "maximum latitude" that allows them to interpret negatively such subjective factors as "accent" and thus exclude qualified visible minorities who speak fluent French. They argued that accent should not be a consideration in evaluating linguistic proficiency in French or English and that skills should be clearly identified with a specific job.

Across Canada, many drew the Task Force's attention to the requirement under the Public Service Employment Act that Canadian citizens be given preference over non-citizens. This preference can be a major hurdle for those who have not become citizens or whose citizenship applications are outstanding; one-third of Canada's visible minority immigrants arrived in the country between 1991 and 1996.

Visible minority youth said:
"We're seen as a threat by public servants."
"The private sector is more eager to woo us."
"The public service is a place for complacency; I don't want to start my career there."
"If visible minorities were in management, I'd see it as a place that welcomed visible minorities as individuals."
"I never gave a thought to joining the government before there was a recruitment drive on my campus."

The Task Force also sought the views of visible minority youth. It consulted with a group drawn from across Canada from the public and private sectors and chosen for their confidence in their own future. Their perception is that the federal public service sees youth as a liability rather than an asset. They believe the federal public service is still downsizing and therefore offers little in the way of a challenging career or real opportunities. They expressed frustration about their lack of insider knowledge about how to get into the public service and, once in, how to advance. They believe the federal public service needs to improve its image and visibility. They said the federal government should recruit youth like them because they are high achievers -- that is, for reasons other than being a member of a visible minority.

The private sector has put in place programs and approaches with proven results that could be considered for adaptation to the public sector. Companies under the Federal Contractors Program and the Legislated Employment Equity Program report employment equity practices to Human Resources Development Canada. That department's Labour Standards and Workplace Equity Directorate monitors some 300 federally regulated companies (i.e., with more than 100 employees) that are subject to the Employment Equity Act. It also reviews progress in another 800 companies and institutions active in the Federal Contractors Program. The Task Force believes the federal public service could participate in more interchanges with private industry and, as well, undertake joint outreach and recruitment activities.

What the private sector does well:
Vigorous recruitment at post-secondary levels.
Younger entrants accompany hiring managers on university recruitment drives.
Creative workplace arrangements, such as "flextime" and facilities for religious observance.
Partnering with local schools with a high proportion of visible minority students.
Targeted advertising of vacant positions and use of agencies that
refer visible minority candidates.
Seeking referrals from current visible minority employees.
Mentoring new employees.
Taking workplace units on training retreats.

Learning from the Federal Experience in Bringing about Change

The Task Force reflected on the recent experience of the federal government in implementing employment equity and on Health Canada's response to the directives of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision of March 1997.

In accordance with the Employment Equity Act, responsibility for implementing employment equity is delegated from the employer, Treasury Board, to individual departments and agencies. Each department compares its representation of the four designated groups with the relevant LMA. Where results show under-representation, departments are obliged to review their employment systems, policies and practices to identify possible barriers. The departments, in consultation with bargaining agents and representatives of employees, prepare a plan to achieve reasonable progress in eliminating under-representation.

Shortcomings that contribute to the lack of results

The Task Force saw shortcomings in the implementation of employment equity that may help explain the persistent lack of results:

*	There is a lack of a government-wide commitment to employment equity.

*	There is little shared learning among departments of good practices or lessons learned.

*	Many managers do not see employment equity as an important part of their jobs. Rather, they see it as an add-on, and those too busy push it aside all too easily. Human resources personnel do not evaluate whether a manager's practices conform to government policy.

*	Human resources personnel often occupy junior positions and have few means at their disposal to influence the employment equity performance of managers. Moreover, visible minorities are under-represented in the human resources community.

*	Individuals responsible for employment equity coordination in departments have little clout, and their turnover is high. Moreover, administrative arrangements are short-lived. During the Task Force's tenure, the interdepartmental Consultative Committees on Employment Equity, constituted for each of the four designated groups and under the responsibility of the Treasury Board Secretariat, were disbanded.

The labour market availability measure

For the Canadian workforce as a whole, the 1996 labour market availability of visible minorities was 10.3 per cent. As that figure includes both citizens and non-citizens, the federal public service adjusts it downward to 8.7 per cent, to exclude non-citizens.

Whether the representation of visible minorities in the federal public service is measured against 8.7 per cent, or 10.3 per cent as favoured by the CHRC and the public service unions, demographic trends will raise the LMA by the time it is recalculated based on the next census. Hence, representation goals must be set higher than the LMA; if not, the government will be faced with an intense game of catch-up by the time the new LMA is calculated. In other words, the LMA measure is a floor on which to build diversity.

(Labour) market availability refers to the distribution of people in the designated groups as a percentage of the total Canadian workforce. For the purposes of the federal Public Service, workforce availability is based only on Canadian citizens in those occupations in the Canadian workforce that correspond to the occupational groups in the federal Public Service.

Source: Employment Equity in the Federal Public Service 1998-99, Treasury Board Secretariat.

The Task Force emphasizes that the LMA measure is conservative in several important ways:

*	It is based on census data (the most recent is the 1996 census). Before the next census, it will rise on account of immigration, landed immigrants taking up citizenship, and high school and university graduates joining the workforce.

*	It excludes occupations that the government deems not relevant to the public service. Of the 526 job categories in the Canadian workforce, the federal public service uses only 380 in calculating its LMA.

*	It includes only persons who had some work experience in a seventeen-month period before the census.

*	It assumes that most departmental hiring will be done locally rather than from wider geographic areas.

The map portrays the variations across provinces and territories of the representation of visible minorities in the public service compared to their availability by LMA and their distribution in the population.

Visible Minority Population and Representation in the Public Service by Province/Territory

Key:  Using BC as the example
	17.9% equals visible minority share of provincial population
	11.4% equals visible minority share of representation in the public service
	13.2% equals provincial labour market availability

Source: Treasury Board Secretariat and Public Service Commission, 1999.

The Supreme Court in Action Travail des Femmes v. Canadian National Railway (1987):

An employment equity program thus is designed to work in three ways. First, by countering the cumulative effects of systemic discrimination, such a program renders further discrimination pointless... Secondly, by placing members of the group that had previously been excluded into the heart of the workplace and by allowing them to prove ability on the job, the employment equity scheme addresses the attitudinal problem of stereotyping... Thirdly, an employment equity program helps to create what has been termed a "critical mass" of the previously excluded group in the workplace. This "critical" mass has important effects. The presence of a significant number of individuals from a targeted group eliminates the problems of "tokenism".

The tribunal decision regarding Health Canada

The tribunal decision, rendered in March 1997, imposed strict and specific detailed measures. The decision was binding, and senior management accepted it without appeal. The Task Force noted that Health Canada's response produced impressive early results after only two years of the five years set for the implementation of six "temporary corrective measures" related to recruitment and promotions and a dozen other supporting measures. In the first two years of compliance, Health Canada not only met (with the exception of one minor gap) but exceeded many of the targets set.

The accountability structure that Health Canada was required to put in place included an overseer at the Associate Deputy Minister level to supervise implementation of these measures. All managers are required to justify their non-selection of visible minorities when qualified candidates exist, and are held accountable through their annual performance review. Implementation of the measures has to be reported regularly to the CHRC. Independent oversight is provided for, in that the chair of the employment equity committee of the National Capital Alliance on Race Relations meets quarterly with Health Canada officials (including the overseer and the Director General of Human Resources) to review Health Canada's progress. Within the department, an internal review committee meets quarterly, its co-chairs reporting directly to the Deputy Minister.

Changing the Corporate Culture or Getting the Numbers Up: Which Comes First?

There is much debate about which comes first: progress in numbers and creating a critical mass, or progress in changing the culture and attitudinal climate of an organization. People need to be prepared for change and convinced that it will turn out to be for the benefit of all. There are those who say organizations should, as a first priority, work on changing the corporate culture. On the other hand, can people be persuaded to alter their attitudes if they do not see substantial examples of change, and recognize the proven competence of people recently hired or promoted?

Public Service Employee Survey 1999

Survey questions

59.	I have experienced discrimination in my work unit.

	Response:  Yes
	Visible minorities public service-wide:  33%
	Visible minorities at Statistics Canada:  25%

60.	I have experienced harassment in my work unit.

	Response:  Yes
	Visible minorities public service-wide:  25%
	Visible minorities at Statistics Canada:  14%

78.	I believe I have a fair chance of getting a promotion, given my skills and experience.

	Response:  Strongly/mostly agree
	Visible minorities public service-wide:  36%
	Visible minorities at Statistics Canada:  43%

Source: Public Service Employee Survey 1999.

The Task Force came to the view that changing the culture and changing the numbers can and must move in concert. It looked at the Public Service Employee Survey 1999 in terms of how visible minorities in selective departments assessed workplace conditions, and it compared that with their absolute population numbers and with their progress toward closing the gap with their respective LMAs. The chart above compares, by way of example, the responses of visible minority employees at Statistics Canada to visible minorities across the public service. Visible minority employees at that department gave an above-average assessment of the workplace. The Task Force observed that Statistics Canada has a comparatively high population of visible minorities in the department (388), accounting for 7.6 per cent of its workforce. As well, the department is closing in on its LMA of 8.5 per cent. Nonetheless, the Task Force noted that the department remains equally determined to improve the corporate culture, and to increase the representation of visible minorities.

Striving for a Representative Public Service

The time is opportune for the federal government to invest in its human capital and to change the federal public service so that it better reflects the public it serves. During the severe downsizing that began in 1995 (to meet targets under the Program Review exercise), the size of the public service was greatly reduced, and hiring from outside was curtailed. This impeded progress toward fair representation of all groups. During the downsizing, few were being hired, the average age of federal employees rose, and many prepared to retire. With downsizing ending, the federal government must now renew and rejuvenate its workforce.

Visible minorities continue to apply in large numbers to the federal public service. In 1998-99, visible minorities, as a percentage of all applicants, made up 30.2 per cent of applicants to post-secondary recruitment and 20.6 per cent to general recruitment. Of all appointments under these recruitment programs, 13.9 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively, went to visible minorities. Those fall-off rates between the application and appointment rates suggest that the principle of merit is not being meaningfully applied.

Demographic Profile of Youth in Canada

All of Canada
	Population aged 15-64 years
		Number:  19,349,155
	Population aged 15-19 years
		Number:  1,956,115
		Percent:  10.1%
	Population aged 20-24 years
		Number:  1,892,910
		Percent:  9.8%

Visible Minorities
	Population aged 15-64 years
		Number:  2,228,065
	Population aged 15-19 years
		Number:  261,295
		Percent:  11.7%
	Population aged 20-24 years
		Number:  259,765
		Percent:  11.7%

Source:  Statistics Canada, 1996 Census of Population.

Recruiting youth and the next generation of leadership

The public service must also set its sights on engaging the next generation of Canadians about to consider employment opportunities with the government. The federal government must find ways to raise its profile as an employer. It must demonstrate its desire and ability to move in step with the ambitions of those now in high school or entering colleges and universities. Their world is fast-paced; they are used to an accelerating rate of change and are comfortable with a globalized world where borders have less meaning. All the more important, therefore, that, as Canadians, they should be familiar with their own country and have a sense of belonging to it and a sense that it belongs to them.

An estimated 10 per cent of graduates of Canadian universities in 1996 were members of visible minorities. The trend is sharply upward. As an employer, the federal government must do more than provide and fill jobs; it can be an instrument for building a concept of citizenship and participation. As such, it should provide employment opportunities in different parts of Canada and share the wealth of a diverse talent pool in larger cities with the regions. As well, it should provide opportunities for young Canadians to acquire working proficiency in French or English as necessary. It should invest in the next generation by offering attractive work opportunities that also recognize changing concepts of career and of work.

The visible minority population is a relatively young one. Compared to the overall population of Canada, visible minorities are more concentrated in lower age categories. In the Canadian population of "working age", almost 20 per cent is between the ages of 15 and 24. In the visible minority population, that figure rises to just over 23 per cent.

While this is a time of opportunity, it is also a time of challenge -- to raise confidence in the public service as an employer. The period of downsizing brought dismay to many in the public service and discouragement to many others who might have applied for employment in it. As the saying goes, people have more than one string to their bow as they hunt for satisfying jobs, and what sounds like perilous uncertainty to an older generation might seem stimulating to a younger one. The federal government should harness the talents and energies of the dynamic talent pool of youth across the country.

"If people want to get a safe job, they shouldn't come to the public service. [But] if they are looking  for an exciting place where they can make a difference, this is it."

Mel Cappe, Clerk of the Privy Council, commenting on recent school graduates, The Globe and Mail, January 17, 2000.

Conclusion

The Task Force believes its action plan is pragmatic and achievable, its objectives measurable and its results accountable. It believes that the action plan will also help position Canada for the year 2001, which the United Nations has proclaimed International Year for Mobilisation against Racism and Racial Discrimination. It believes that discrimination in all forms must be eliminated in Canada.

Times of change are times of danger, when established values and attitudes are threatened and new ones are born. The Task Force believes the federal public service can make the needed changes and that federal public servants are prepared to embrace fairness and equity. Furthermore, the Task Force is confident that visible minorities will seize the opportunity to show their individual talents and to make a valued contribution. The action plan can herald an era in the federal public service when all Canadians take part in exciting change. 

	Appendices

APPENDIX I
Task Force Mandate and Membership

Mandate

On April 23rd, 1999, the Honourable Marcel Massé, P.C., O.C., President of the Treasury Board, requested the Task Force to:

*	review and take stock of the situation of visible minorities in the federal Public Service through consultations and in-depth examination of data, past reports, studies and recommendations related to the employment of visible minorities in the Public Service;

*	formulate an action plan that will further the participation of visible minorities in the federal Public Service for submission to the President of the Treasury Board;

*	identify benchmarks and follow-up mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the action plan;

*	provide the impetus for increasing the awareness and commitment of senior officials and managers regarding their responsibilities and accountabilities for improving the situation of visible minorities in the Public Service.

Members

Lewis Perinbam, O.C., (Chairperson) Vancouver.
Senior Advisor, The Commonwealth of Learning. Former Vice-President, Canadian International Development Agency.

J. C. Best, Ottawa.
Former Assistant Deputy Minister, Immigration, and former Canadian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago.

Denise Chong, Ottawa.
Author of The Concubine's Children and The Girl in the Picture.  Former senior economic advisor to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Marjorie M. David, Ottawa.
Managing Director, Maron-Ibis Enterprises. Former senior executive in several portfolios in the federal Public Service.

Shawna Hoyte, Halifax.
Lawyer, mediator and community educator. Actively involved in community development initiatives for African Nova Scotians regarding issues of equity.

Alain Jean-Bart, C.Q., Montreal.
Ph.D. Psychology, consultant in cross-cultural relations and member of the Montreal Urban Community's Advisory Committee on Intercultural and Interracial Relations.

Audrey Kobayashi, Ph.D., Kingston.
Researcher and consultant on employment equity and racism and Professor of Geography at Queen's University.

Earl A. Miller, Toronto.
Director of Diversity, Scotiabank.  Former human resources consultant and head of employment equity and race relations for the Government of Ontario.

Henry K. Pau, Ottawa.
Consultant in employment equity, board member of the National Capital Alliance on Race Relations (NCARR) and chairperson of its Employment Equity Committee. Former senior executive in the federal Public Service.  

Appendix II
Distribution of Federal Public Service Employees
(Indeterminate, terms of three months or more and seasonal employees)
by Selected Departments
(Departments with more than 100 employees)
(As of March 31, 1999)

All Employees

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
	Total:  4,414
	Male:  2,515
	Percent Male:  57.0
	Female:  1,899
	Percent Female: 43.0

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
	Total:  404
	Male:  199
	Percent Male:  49.3
	Female:  205
	Percent Female: 50.7

Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
	Total:  276
	Male:  122
	Percent Male:  44.2
	Female:  154
	Percent Female: 55.8

Canadian Grain Commission
	Total:  649
	Male:  444
	Percent Male:  68.4
	Female:  205
	Percent Female: 31.6

Canadian Human Rights Commission
	Total:  198
	Male:  62
	Percent Male:  31.3
	Female:  136
	Percent Female: 68.7

Canadian International Development Agency
	Total:  1,229
	Male:  556
	Percent Male:  45.2
	Female:  673
	Percent Female: 54.8

Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
	Total:  387
	Male:  152
	Percent Male:  39.3
	Female:  235
	Percent Female: 60.7

Canadian Space Agency
	Total:  322
	Male:  202
	Percent Male:  62.7
	Female:  120
	Percent Female: 37.3

Canadian Transportation Agency
	Total:  240
	Male:  102
	Percent Male:  42.5
	Female:  138
	Percent Female: 57.5

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
	Total:  3,789
	Male:  1,512
	Percent Male:  39.9
	Female:  2,277
	Percent Female: 60.1

Correctional Service Canada
	Total:  12,361
	Male:  7,474
	Percent Male:  60.5
	Female:  4,887
	Percent Female: 39.5

Department of Canadian Heritage
	Total:  4,333
	Male:  2,307
	Percent Male:  53.2
	Female:  2,026
	Percent Female: 46.8

Department of Finance Canada
	Total:  812
	Male:  417
	Percent Male:  51.4
	Female:  395
	Percent Female: 48.6

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
	Total:  3,837
	Male:  1,981
	Percent Male:  51.6
	Female:  1,856
	Percent Female: 48.4

Department of Justice Canada
	Total:  2,791
	Male:  1,038
	Percent Male:  37.2
	Female:  1,753
	Percent Female: 62.8

Environment Canada
	Total:  4,608
	Male:  2,886
	Percent Male:  62.6
	Female:  1,722
	Percent Female: 37.4

Fisheries and Oceans (Fisheries and Oceans includes the Canadian Coast Guard)
	Total:  8,499
	Male:  6,246
	Percent Male:  73.5
	Female:  2,253
	Percent Female: 26.5

Health Canada
	Total:  6,004
	Male:  2,115
	Percent Male:  35.2
	Female:  3,889
	Percent Female: 64.8

Human Resources Development Canada
	Total:  20,740
	Male:  6,093
	Percent Male:  29.4
	Female:  14,647
	Percent Female: 70.6

Immigration and Refugee Board
	Total:  826
	Male:  279
	Percent Male:  33.8
	Female:  547
	Percent Female: 66.2

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
	Total:  3,182
	Male:  1,264
	Percent Male:  39.7
	Female:  1,918
	Percent Female: 60.3

Industry Canada
	Total:  4,714
	Male:  2,477
	Percent Male:  52.5
	Female:  2,237
	Percent Female: 47.5

National Archives of Canada
	Total:  643
	Male:  346
	Percent Male:  53.8
	Female:  297
	Percent Female: 46.2

National Defence (Civilian staff only. Data for members of the Canadian Forces are not included, as the Treasury Board is not their employer)
	Total:  15,591
	Male:  10,105
	Percent Male:  64.8
	Female:  5,486
	Percent Female: 35.2

National Library of Canada
	Total:  438
	Male:  144
	Percent Male:  32.9
	Female:  294
	Percent Female: 67.1

National Parole Board
	Total:  265
	Male:  54
	Percent Male:  20.4
	Female:  211
	Percent Female: 79.6

Natural Resources Canada
	Total:  3,769
	Male:  2,403
	Percent Male:  63.8
	Female:  1,366
	Percent Female: 36.2

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
	Total:  229
	Male:  120
	Percent Male:  52.4
	Female:  109
	Percent Female: 47.6

Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
	Total:  123
	Male:  51
	Percent Male:  41.5
	Female:  72
	Percent Female: 58.5

Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
	Total:  147
	Male:  58
	Percent Male:  39.5
	Female:  89
	Percent Female: 60.5

Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
	Total:  128
	Male:  51
	Percent Male:  39.8
	Female:  77
	Percent Female: 60.2

Passport Office
	Total:  599
	Male:  163
	Percent Male:  27.2
	Female:  436
	Percent Female: 72.8

Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
	Total:  585
	Male:  427
	Percent Male:  73.0
	Female:  158
	Percent Female: 27.0

Privy Council Office
	Total:  581
	Male:  237
	Percent Male:  40.8
	Female:  344
	Percent Female: 59.2

Public Service Commission of Canada
	Total:  1,221
	Male:  444
	Percent Male:  36.4
	Female:  777
	Percent Female: 63.6

Public Works and Government Services Canada
	Total:  10,476
	Male:  5,221
	Percent Male:  49.8
	Female:  5,255
	Percent Female: 50.2

Registry of the Federal Court of Canada
	Total:  403
	Male:  141
	Percent Male:  35.0
	Female:  262
	Percent Female: 65.0

Revenue Canada
	Total:  41,048
	Male:  18,424
	Percent Male:  44.9
	Female:  22,624
	Percent Female: 55.1

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Civilian staff only. Data for members of the Canadian Forces are not included, as the Treasury Board is not their employer)
	Total:  3,521
	Male:  683
	Percent Male:  19.4
	Female:  2,838
	Percent Female: 80.6

Solicitor General
	Total:  246
	Male:  106
	Percent Male:  43.1
	Female:  140
	Percent Female: 56.9

Statistics Canada
	Total:  5,081
	Male:  2,546
	Percent Male:  50.1
	Female:  2,535
	Percent Female: 49.9

Status of Women Canada
	Total:  104
	Male:  4
	Percent Male:  3.8
	Female:  100
	Percent Female: 96.2

Tax Court of Canada
	Total:  112
	Male:  39
	Percent Male:  34.8
	Female:  73
	Percent Female: 65.2

Transport Canada
	Total:  4,246
	Male:  2,610
	Percent Male:  61.5
	Female:  1,636
	Percent Female: 38.5

Transportation Safety Board of Canada
	Total:  205
	Male:  138
	Percent Male:  67.3
	Female:  67
	Percent Female: 32.7

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
	Total:  680
	Male:  291
	Percent Male:  42.8
	Female:  389
	Percent Female: 57.2

Veterans Affairs Canada
	Total:  3,127
	Male:  1,016
	Percent Male:  32.5
	Female:  2,111
	Percent Female: 67.5

Western Economic Diversification Canada
	Total:  288
	Male:  133
	Percent Male:  46.2
	Female:  155
	Percent Female: 53.8

All other Departments
	Total:  68,826
	Male:  31,343
	Percent Male:  45.5
	Female:  37,483
	Percent Female: 54.5

Total Public Service Including Revenue Canada
	Total:  178,340
	Male:  86,484
	Percent Male:  48.5
	Female:  91,856
	Percent Female: 51.5

Total Public Service Excluding Revenue Canada
	Total:  137,292
	Male:  68,060
	Percent Male:  49.6
	Female:  69,232
	Percent Female: 50.4

Persons in a Visible Minority Group

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
	Total:  206
	Male:  139
	Percent Male:  67.5
	Female:  67
	Percent Female:  32.5
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.7
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.4

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
	Total:  6
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  1.5
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  1.9

Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
	Total:  8
	Male:  2
	Percent Male:  25.0
	Female:  6
	Percent Female:  75.0
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.9
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  4.3

Canadian Grain Commission
	Total:  39
	Male:  25
	Percent Male:  64.1
	Female:  14
	Percent Female:  35.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.0
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  13.4

Canadian Human Rights Commission
	Total:  19
	Male:  5
	Percent Male:  26.3
	Female:  14
	Percent Female:  73.7
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  9.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.3

Canadian International Development Agency
	Total:  75
	Male:  37
	Percent Male:  49.3
	Female:  38
	Percent Female:  50.7
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.5

Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
	Total:  13
	Male:  5
	Percent Male:  38.5
	Female:  8
	Percent Female:  61.5
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  3.4
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.8

Canadian Space Agency
	Total:  25
	Male:  23
	Percent Male:  92.0
	Female:  2
	Percent Female:  8.0
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  7.8
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  9.4

Canadian Transportation Agency
	Total:  11
	Male:  6
	Percent Male:  54.5
	Female:  5
	Percent Female:  45.5
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.9

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
	Total:  376
	Male:  111
	Percent Male:  29.5
	Female:  265
	Percent Female:  70.5
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  9.9
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  10.0

Correctional Service Canada
	Total:  349
	Male:  245
	Percent Male:  70.2
	Female:  104
	Percent Female:  29.8
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.8
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  3.1

Department of Canadian Heritage
	Total:  83
	Male:  36
	Percent Male:  43.4
	Female:  47
	Percent Female:  56.6
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  1.9
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  4.3

Department of Finance Canada
	Total:  51
	Male:  24
	Percent Male:  47.1
	Female:  27
	Percent Female:  52.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.3
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.2

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
	Total:  183
	Male:  88
	Percent Male:  48.1
	Female:  95
	Percent Female:  51.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.8
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.5

Department of Justice Canada
	Total:  143
	Male:  46
	Percent Male:  32.2
	Female:  97
	Percent Female:  67.8
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.4

Environment Canada
	Total:  284
	Male:  181
	Percent Male:  63.7
	Female:  103
	Percent Female:  36.3
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.2
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  9.8

Fisheries and Oceans (Fisheries and Oceans includes the Canadian Coast Guard)
	Total:  217
	Male:  136
	Percent Male:  62.7
	Female:  81
	Percent Female:  37.3
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  4.6

Health Canada
	Total:  545
	Male:  250
	Percent Male:  45.9
	Female:  295
	Percent Female:  54.1
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  9.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.3

Human Resources Development Canada
	Total:  968
	Male:  301
	Percent Male:  31.1
	Female:  667
	Percent Female:  68.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.7
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.1

Immigration and Refugee Board
	Total:  151
	Male:  41
	Percent Male:  27.2
	Female:  110
	Percent Female:  72.8
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  18.3
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  12.9

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
	Total:  174
	Male:  65
	Percent Male:  37.4
	Female:  109
	Percent Female:  62.6
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.5
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.5

Industry Canada
	Total:  268
	Male:  172
	Percent Male:  64.2
	Female:  96
	Percent Female:  35.8
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.7
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.4

National Archives of Canada
	Total:  14
	Male:  8
	Percent Male:  57.1
	Female:  6
	Percent Female:  42.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.2
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.1

National Defence (Civilian staff only. Data for members of the Canadian Forces are not included, as the Treasury Board is not their employer)
	Total:  435
	Male:  266
	Percent Male:  61.1
	Female:  169
	Percent Female:  38.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.8
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  5.1

National Library of Canada
	Total:  19
	Male:  7
	Percent Male:  36.8
	Female:  12
	Percent Female:  63.2
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.3
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.8

National Parole Board
	Total:  7
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  4.8

Natural Resources Canada
	Total:  253
	Male:  187
	Percent Male:  73.9
	Female:  66
	Percent Female:  26.1
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.7
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.0

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
	Total:  4
	Male:  2
	Percent Male:  50.0
	Female:  2
	Percent Female:  50.0
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  1.7
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.2

Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
	Total:  3
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.4
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.9

Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
	Total:  6
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.7

Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
	Total:  3
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.3
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.5

Passport Office
	Total:  19
	Male:  4
	Percent Male:  21.1
	Female:  15
	Percent Female:  78.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  3.2
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  10.7

Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
	Total:  6
	Male:  4
	Percent Male:  66.7
	Female:  2
	Percent Female:  33.3
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  1.0
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  4.7

Privy Council Office
	Total:  12
	Male:  5
	Percent Male:  41.7
	Female:  7
	Percent Female:  58.3
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  2.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.1

Public Service Commission of Canada
	Total:  67
	Male:  23
	Percent Male:  34.3
	Female:  44
	Percent Female:  65.7
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.5
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.7

Public Works and Government Services Canada
	Total:  706
	Male:  397
	Percent Male:  56.2
	Female:  309
	Percent Female:  43.8
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.7
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.5

Registry of the Federal Court of Canada
	Total:  24
	Male:  7
	Percent Male:  29.2
	Female:  17
	Percent Female:  70.8
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  6.0
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.0

Revenue Canada
	Total:  3,741
	Male:  1,896
	Percent Male:  50.7
	Female:  1,845
	Percent Female:  49.3
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  9.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.4

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Civilian staff only. Data for members of the Canadian Forces are not included, as the Treasury Board is not their employer)
	Total:  150
	Male:  41
	Percent Male:  27.3
	Female:  109
	Percent Female:  72.7
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  4.3
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.5

Solicitor General
	Total:  4
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  1.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.2

Statistics Canada
	Total:  388
	Male:  221
	Percent Male:  57.0
	Female:  167
	Percent Female:  43.0
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  7.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.5

Status of Women Canada
	Total:  16
	Male:  -
	Percent Male:  -
	Female:  -
	Percent Female:  -
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  15.4
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.2

Tax Court of Canada
	Total:  4
	Male:  2
	Percent Male:  50.0
	Female:  2
	Percent Female:  50.0
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  3.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.5

Transport Canada
	Total:  216
	Male:  109
	Percent Male:  50.5
	Female:  107
	Percent Female:  49.5
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.1
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.6

Transportation Safety Board of Canada
	Total:  7
	Male:  5
	Percent Male:  71.4
	Female:  2
	Percent Female:  28.6
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  3.4
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.6

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
	Total:  38
	Male:  21
	Percent Male:  55.3
	Female:  17
	Percent Female:  44.7
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.2

Veterans Affairs Canada
	Total:  168
	Male:  54
	Percent Male:  32.1
	Female:  114
	Percent Female:  67.9
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.4
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  6.4

Western Economic Diversification Canada
	Total:  16
	Male:  7
	Percent Male:  43.8
	Female:  9
	Percent Female:  56.3
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.6
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  7.9

All other Departments
	Total:  5,372
	Male:  764
	Percent Male:  14.2
	Female:  570
	Percent Female:  10.6
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  7.8
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  -

Total Public Service Including Revenue Canada
	Total:  10,557
	Male:  5,237
	Percent Male:  49.6
	Female:  5,320
	Percent Female:  50.4
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.9
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  8.7

Total Public Service Excluding Revenue Canada
	Total:  6,816
	Male:  3,341
	Percent Male:  49.0
	Female:  3,475
	Percent Female:  51.0
	Visible Minorities as % of all employees:  5.0
	Percent Labour Market Availability:  -

Note: Where absolute numbers are small, data is not provided to protect the confidentiality of the employees.

Source: Annual Report to Parliament, Employment Equity in the Federal Public Service 1998-99

APPENDIX III
Projected Impact of Proposed Benchmark on Recruitment

The graph illustrates the impact of implementing the benchmark proposed by the Task Force as it pertains to recruitment and compares that with the impact of current recruitment practices on representation of visible minorities in the public service. The forecast excludes Revenue Canada.

The forecast assumes that the benchmark would be achieved government-wide commencing fiscal 1999-2000, i.e., the year 2000. It forecasts a 1 in 5 level of recruitment for five years, rather than the three-year horizon set out in the action plan, to analyze when such a level of recruitment would meet the federal objective of closing the gap with labour market availability (LMA, 1996 levels).

Projected Impact of Benchmark on Public Service Representation

Under this scenario, representation of visible minorities would reach the labour market availability rate in 2005. In contrast, the historical share of recruitment of visible minorities (7.1 per cent or about 1 in 15 between 1990 and 1999) would make no discernible progress in closing the gap with LMA (it would not do so until more than two and a half decades from now).

The forecast may differ from actual practice:

*	The action plan proposes a gradual increase to the benchmark by the third year, rather than an immediate increase to the level of the benchmark.

*	The forecast assumes no growth in the size of the public service; recruitment is for vacancies created by departures. In reality, the federal public service is ending its period of downsizing and hiring will likely accelerate. Such growth could result in faster improvement in the representation of visible minorities. 

APPENDIX IV
Projected Impact of Proposed Benchmark on Executive Feeder Groups and Executive Levels

The chart shows the impact of implementing the benchmark as it pertains to the movement of visible minorities into the executive feeder groups and to executive levels. It projects a gradual increase from present staffing levels to a rate of 1 in 5 in the fifth year, or 2005. The forecast excludes Revenue Canada.

In 1999, visible minorities made up 6.5 per cent of the feeder groups and 3.0 per cent of the executive category.

Projected Impact of Benchmark on Representation in EX and EX Feeder Groups

In 1999, the share of appointments of visible minorities to the feeder levels was 7.3 per cent and to executive levels, 3.7 per cent. The impact of achieving the benchmark over five years for both the feeder and executive groups is that year over year, the gap between their respective rates of representation decreases; by the fifth year, it is eliminated. In the fifth year, both populations approach 8 per cent. Thus, the federal employment equity objective respecting visible minority advancement to executive levels is achieved; that is, the visible minority feeder and executive level representation are about equal.

The forecast is conservative compared to what might be achieved in practice:

*	It assumes no growth in the population of feeder and executive levels; changes in representation come only by way of filling vacancies arising from attrition. In reality, last year (1999) represented the beginning of a trend of growth and recruitment in both those categories.

*	Growth in both the feeder and executive categories will present opportunities to reach the benchmark faster than what is projected.

According to the forecast of the benchmark scenario on the executive category, the annual level of appointments would have to rise from 17 in 1999 to about 50 in the fifth year. Further projections were made to analyze to what extent such appointments would deplete the feeder pool of visible minorities if that pool remained unchanged. Under such a scenario, by the fifth year, the feeder pool would fall by four-tenths of a percentage point. Thus, the effect of increasing the share of executive appointments of visible minorities can readily be accommodated even if the recruitment share of visible minorities to the feeder pool remained unchanged.

According to the forecast of the benchmark scenario of the feeder groups, annual appointments would have to rise from about 50 in 1999 to 200 by the fifth year. In 1999, visible minority appointments to the feeder group totalled 173, i.e., at the upper range of that forecast. Thus, the recruitment shares to executive feeder groups called for in the action plan are already demonstrably realistic and attainable.

APPENDIX V
PSC Tools to Improve Employment Equity Representation

1.	Deputy heads may request the PSC to implement an employment equity (EE) program in their department.

	*	The need for such a program is based on significant under-representation in one or more occupations and/or by location.

	*	Selection can be confined to visible minorities and other designated group(s).

	*	Person selected must be qualified.

	*	Legal authority is provided under PSEA 5.1(2).

2.	Departmental managers may request a PSC Regional Office to apply the PSC employment equity ad hoc program in order to receive only EE candidates from one or more of the designated employment equity groups.

	*	Managers can use their authority for term or indeterminate appointments.

	*	Person selected must be qualified.

	*	Legal authority is provided under PSEA 5.1(1).

	Note: If a term employee is hired under the ad hoc program, employment status can be changed from term to indeterminate at a later date. This subsequent appointment will not require the assessment of other candidates or the posting of a notice of right to appeal. However, the appointment must not result in a promotion.

3.	Departmental managers can request an expansion of the area of selection.

	*	Managers can ask for the minimum area of selection to be expanded to include one or more EE groups from a larger area of selection.

	*	This authority applies to external and internal processes.

		e.g., external - open to residents of Montreal and all visible minorities within a 100 mile radius.

		e.g., internal - open to employees of Canadian Heritage in the National Capital Region and all visible minority employees of Citizenship and Immigration.

	*	Legal authority is provided under PSEA 13(2).

4.	Departmental managers can use the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) to increase hiring of designated group members.

	*	The program has a built-in algorithm to ensure representative referrals of employment equity group members.

	*	The search for referrals can be restricted to one or more of the EE designated groups.

5.	Departmental managers can use the "bridging program" to appoint students.

	*	Managers who have invested in students by providing them with significant work experience through a FSWEP or Co-op approved program may "bridge" the student into Public Service employment using one of the following two options:

	Option one: competitive option
	*	The area of selection in closed competitions must specifically include them.

	*	Students must meet the criteria of area of selection.

	*	Students must demonstrate they are capable of completing the post-secondary program in which they are registered at the time of their most recent appointment and within the timeframe indicated on the competition notice.

	Option two: non-competitive option
	*	The Public Service Commission has delegated authority to deputy heads to appoint, without competition from outside the federal Public Service, qualified graduates in whom the department has invested. Appointment may occur within 12 months of students completing their post-secondary education program or vocational training program.

	*	Further details on these two options may be found in the Letter to Heads of Personnel (reference: 98-16) dated August 12, 1998.
		web site address: www.psc-cfp.gc.ca

6.	Where can one find information on the assessment and recognition of foreign credentials for employment purposes?

	The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) assists persons who want to know how to obtain an assessment of their educational, professional and occupational credentials by referring them to the appropriate bodies.

	For more information:
	Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials
	252 Bloor Street West, Suite 5-200
	Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V5
	Telephone: (416) 964-1777
	Fax: (416) 964-2296
	E-mail: info@cicic.ca
	web site: http://www.cicic.ca/

7.	PSC's recruitment tools to help departments, agencies meet EE requirements.

	Jobs are posted on:
	*	Internet (http://jobs.gc.ca)
		-	Over 22,000 visits are made per day (visit equals 10 minutes plus).
		-	Candidates may apply on-line.
		-	An alternate text format is available to allow candidates with visual impairment to apply on-line.
		-	EE associations have hyper-links to this site.

	*	Infotel - local telephone numbers are used to advertise jobs.

	*	Jobs may be advertised in professional journals and occasionally in ethnic press and in the language of press.

	*	PSC reception areas have computers available and connected to Internet.

	*	Job notices are faxed to selected EE organizations that are not hyper-linked to PSC site.

	*	Database of EE organizations/associations that support PSC recruitment efforts (2,300 addresses) and to which PSC communicates information regarding its major recruitment campaign efforts.

	*	PSC is increasing its presence at universities and colleges, undertaking numerous job fairs and actively participating at EE events in the community.

8.	Departments can access PSC's unique EE networks.

	Regional offices of the PSC have developed strategies to better reach and access EE candidates by:

	*	Maintaining EE inventories to support recruitment efforts for that region (check http://jobs.gc.ca for locations).

	*	Developing partnerships and working relationships with EE organizations and provincial governments in order to maximize  recruitment efforts and results.

9.	The Employment Equity Positive Measures Program (EEPMP) (A Treasury Board program jointly delivered by the PSC and TBS).

	EEPMP Intervention Fund
	*	Administered by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), this fund supports and kick-starts initiatives or interventions which address unique cross-departmental issues or issues identified either from EE business plans, Canadian Human Rights Commission audits or which respond to major government priorities.

	*	For more information, please contact TBS's Employment Equity Division or visit the program's web site at: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/ee.

	EEPMP Partnership Fund
	*	Administered by the Public Service Commission (PSC), this fund supports the unique needs of each region in dealing with EE barriers.

	*	For more information, contact PSC Regional or District offices or visit the program's web site at: www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/eepmp-pmpee.

	Employment Equity Career
	Development Office (EECDO)
	*	Administered by the PSC, this office facilitates the delivery of effective and appropriate career counselling to designated group members through the transfer of knowledge to departments and regions.

	*	The office is developing a Centre of Excellence that provides current research, resources and opportunities to share best practices.

	*	The office is developing an accredited course on EE Career Counselling.

	*	For more information, visit the program's web site at www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/eepmp-pmpee.

	Enabling Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities
	*	Administered by the PSC, this centre of expertise provides operational support and advice to managers on how to meet the work-related accommodation needs of persons with disabilities.

	*	Upon assessment of needs, work-related assistive devices can be borrowed by departments on a short-term loan basis.

	*	For more information, visit the program's web site at  www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/eepmp-pmpee.

10.	Manager's checklist:

	*	Check job requirements (especially education and experience) to see if they are job related and not overly demanding.

	*	Check language requirements to see if they truly reflect needs.

	*	Ensure EE representation on selection boards.

	*	Understand your workforce representation and identify where progress is needed.

	*	Don't screen out candidates because they have a degree from a non-Canadian institution. Have it verified through existing services.

11.	Deputy heads may promote the use of the Career Assignment Program (CAP) as a vehicle for the development of visible minority employees.

	*	CAP selection is delegated to departments and is through merit-based processes.

	*	Departments may encourage their visible minority employees to apply for CAP competitions.

	*	CAP selection tools have been tested to eliminate any systemic biases.

12.	Departmental managers and executives can use PSC selection instruments for  purposes of recruitment and promotion. An Employment Systems Review was conducted on PSC selection instruments by an outside expert, and results are being used to improve current instruments and find new ones that will contribute to meeting Public Service employment equity goals.

	*	Ten PSC selection instruments were selected for review based on importance in selection in the Public Service and to cover the variety of instrument types available.  These were: the General Intelligence Test, General Competency Test: Level 2, Office Skills Test, Foreign Service Knowledge Test, Supervisor Simulation, Middle-Manager In-Basket Exercise, Track Record Interview, Assessment Centre for Executive Appointment, Assessment Centre for the Management Trainee Program and Second Language Evaluation Oral Interaction Test.

	*	Details on PSC selection instruments and services may be found at the Personnel Psychology Centre web site at: www.psc-cfp.gc/ppc/ppc-cpp.htm

13.	Departmental managers responsible for conducting assessments of employees or potential employees can use a workshop developed by PSC to increase assessors' employment equity awareness.

	*	The workshop entitled Sensitivity Training for Employment Equity is available from the Personnel Psychology Centre.

14.	The Management Trainee Program (MTP) is an avenue  for training and development for visible minorities who are currently in the public service.  As well, it is a means of bringing in new talented visible minorities from outside the public service.

	*	Ensure that the proportion of visible minorities who participate in a given selection campaign is maintained at each successive phase from application to selection.

	*	Encourage participation of visible minority assessors on all selection boards in regions where there is a high representation of visible minorities.

	*	Conduct consultations with groups/associations representing visible minorities.

	*	Conduct sensitization training for selection board members, including managers.

	*	MTP selection tools have been tested to eliminate any systemic biases.

	*	The PSC markets the MTP on campuses to attract visible minority applicants. www.psc.cfp.gc.ca/mtp/index.html.

15.	Deputy heads may promote the use of the Interchange Canada Program (ICP) as a vehicle for career development and mobility of visible minority employees.

	*	Departments have been delegated the administration of ICP assignments below the executive level.

	*	Departments may encourage their visible minority employees to diversify their expertise through an IC assignment in an outside organization e.g., other level of government, industry, academic and research institutions, non-profit.

16.	Deputy Heads may increase their EE population by selecting a visible minority employee of an outside organization to fill a position through an IC assignment (3 months to 3 years).

	*	Departments may seek the expertise of visible minority employees from outside organizations to help develop a better understanding between the federal public service and outside organizations for the purposes of creating and supporting informed policy development and improved services, and to strengthen Canada's international and national relations and partnerships.

17.	The PSC has 15 regional and district offices:

	*	Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
	*	Moncton, New Brunswick
	*	Montreal, Quebec
	*	Ottawa, Ontario
	*	Halifax, Nova Scotia
	*	St. John's, Newfoundland
	*	Quebec, Quebec
	*	Toronto, Ontario
	*	Whitehorse, Yukon
	*	Regina, Saskatchewan
	*	Iqualuit, Nunavut
	*	Winnipeg, Manitoba
	*	Vancouver, British Columbia
	*	Edmonton, Alberta
	*	Victoria, British Columbia

Source: Public Service Commission,  February 2000.

Acknowledgements

The Task Force is grateful to the many individuals from coast to coast who provided information, shared their views, offered suggestions and ideas, made submissions, and gave generously of their time. They included visible minority employees, senior officials, middle managers, human resources personnel, and representatives of unions and external organizations. Their insights and contributions were of great value to the Task Force.

The Task Force also wishes to acknowledge the valuable work of Wendy Barrow, Caroline Ishii, Line Saucier, Ainalem Tebeje and Joan Young of the Task Force Secretariat. It appreciated their indefatigable efforts to meet the Task Force's needs. The Task Force also benefited from the exceptional professionalism of Wally Boxhill of the Treasury Board Secretariat and Doug Booker and Stan Lee of the Public Service Commission. It also wishes to express its appreciation to Clyde Sanger.