Politics This Morning: Visible minority groups at greater disadvantage in civil-service recruitment process, says audit

Good Friday morning, Most visible minority groups applying for a job as a federal bureaucrat are more likely to be passed over in the application process than other Canadians, though efforts to increase representation among women have improved, according to a new audit from the Public Service Commission. The audit found that those who identify as visible minorities were disproportionately failing to advance in the recruitment process. For example, while they accounted for 30.4 per cent of applicants, only 24.7 per cent were eventually hired. In contrast, women accounted fo 52.8 per cent of applicants, but represented 58.8 per cent of new hires. Black applicants were more likely to hit a roadblock in the process among those who identify as a visible minority. The audit called on deputy heads to review their hiring practices and to assess how they can ensure a "barrier-free appointment process for all employment equity groups." Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos earlier this week pointed to steps the government is taking to address systemic barriers in the public service. He pointed to the release of disaggregated datasets that break down representation of self-identifying minority groups and discussions underway to look at possible amendments to the Employment Equity Act. Canada is lagging behind many of its peers in the developed world in the campaign to inoculate its population, ranking 20th globally. The United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Portugal, and Spain are among those further ahead on a per capita basis, per a report from Oxford University's Our World in Data. So far, according to CBC, only 90,609 people or 0.24 per cent of Canada's population had been vaccinated, as of Jan. 28. Ontario had to adjust its numbers, after realizing that a data error showed double the number of people who have actually received a shot. The corrected figure was 55,286. Business insolvency rates for the first six months of the pandemic were lower by almost one-third compared to the previous year, but that's no reason to "break out the champagne," according to economists. The recent Statistics Canada report may not capture unknowns such as how many businesses have mothballed their operations for the time being or some may have opted to just liquidate and close their business—data that wouldn't be reflected. Former Rideau Hall employees are weighing whether to take legal action against the government over its alleged failure to follow its own directive on resolving charges of workplace harassment and violence, according to CBC. Employees could due for compensation for lost wages and for the impact on their mental health. The report on former governor general Julie Payette's tenure at Rideau Hall did not attempt to make findings of fact, but documented widespread allegations from current and former employees of a toxic workplace under her management. Ms. Payette's resignation statement said she takes "these allegations very seriously," but noted that "no formal complaints or official grievances were made during my tenure." Ottawa's much-touted plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years—as part of the effort to get Canada to carbon neutrality by 2050—is expected to cost more than expected, according to the federal budget watchdog. The feds estimated it would be $3.16-billion, but Yves Giroux's office put the price tag closer to $5.94-billion. In notable committee meetings, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is set to testify at 12:30 p.m. before the House Heritage Committee as part of an NDP-led push to hold a study on his department's level of engagement with Facebook Canada officials. Reps from Facebook are due to appear an hour after. The opposition push was called in response to an email that the company's head of policy, Kevin Chan, sent to Owen Ripley, a senior official at Heritage, asking "are there any promising senior analysts" that might be a good fit for a position with its public policy team. NDP MP Charlie Angus previously told The Toronto Star the email exchange raised concerns about whether the department had an "unhealthy relationship" with Facebook, a company that stands to be affected by regulations the government is considering to rein in the influence of social media platforms. Facebook, for its part, has pushed back against suggestions that it specifically put a callout to "any one department or organization," saying that it casts a wide net in its recruitment effort. Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who's running point on vaccine logistics, and DND's acting chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mark Misener will testify at 1 p.m. before the Defence Committee on the pandemic's impact on the military. The House Ethics Committee, meanwhile, will meet at 1 p.m. to elect a new chair to replace Conservative MP David Sweet, who was among a number of MPs who stepped down over their decision to travel abroad during the pandemic, despite pleas from government officials to stay at home. Correction: An earlier version of this misstated the number of vaccinations Ontario had fully completed. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Visible minority groups at greater disadvantage in civil-service recruitment process, says audit

Plus, Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who's running point on vaccine logistics, and DND's acting chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mark Misener will testify before the Defence Committee on the pandemic's impact on the military.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Visible minority groups at greater disadvantage in civil-service recruitment process, says audit

Plus, Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who's running point on vaccine logistics, and DND's acting chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mark Misener will testify before the Defence Committee on the pandemic's impact on the military.

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