EQUAL ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT

Employment equity programs, which help fight job discrimination, are in place for public organizations (municipal administrations, the education and health and social services systems, and State-owned corporations), some private companies and certain government organizations.

These programs were created to ensure equitable representation, on the organization’s staff, of groups that face discrimination. Following are the target groups for these programs:

women
First Nations people, i.e., Canada’s Natives, Inuit and Metis
visible minorities – i.e., non-Natives who are not white-skinned or members of the white race
ethnic minorities – i.e., non-Natives and people who are part of a visible minority, whose first language is neither French nor English
disabled people identified in the Act to Secure Handicapped Persons in the Exercise of their Rights with a view to Achieving Social, School and Workplace Integration.

As public institutions, colleges are required to implement an employment equity program and demonstrate the extent to which each group listed in the Act is represented within their workforce. Their task is to serve as a role model in the fight against workplace discrimination, and they are already perceived as agents of change in the advancement of these programs.

Each college has therefore developed its own employment equity program, which comprises an analysis of its workforce; identification of underrepresented groups by occupation class; development of equal opportunity and support measures, including determination of corrective actions and a preferential appointment rate for hiring and promotions; setting a timeline for implementation; consultation of and providing information to staff and representatives; and identifying the authority responsible for implementing the program.

The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse has a mandate to ensure the law is enforced and provide the colleges with support in fulfilling their employment equity program.