[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-32px|||||” custom_padding=”12px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-23px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]<\/p>\n
TORONTO \u2013 Nicholas Marcus Thompson worked as a taxpayer services agent in 2016 at the Canada Revenue Agency, answering questions about corporate taxes, payroll and related matters.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”10px||5px|||”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-3px|||||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]<\/p>\n After he became sick, his doctor recommended he be given accommodations at his workplace. What ensued was something Nicholas could not have imagined.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey failed to properly accommodate me by providing me with meaningful work at my level. Instead, they asked me to clean out all those closets and those sorts of janitorial duties,\u201d Thompson said.<\/span><\/p>\n Thompson said he was also denied other jobs within the organization based on this \u201clack of productivity,\u201d which was no fault of his own.<\/span><\/p>\n His personal experience, Thompson said, made him realize the existence of systemic racism and Black employee exclusion at different public service jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n On Dec. 1, Thompson and 11 other current and former civil servants filed a lawsuit alleging the federal government discriminates against Black employees.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/WEB-COVER-KhanSameDayPhoto.jpg” title_text=”WEB COVER KhanSameDayPhoto” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-29px|||||” custom_padding=”21px|||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-27px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Nicholas Marcus Thompson is one of the 12 plaintiff in the proposed lawsuit against the federal government for alleged discrimination against Black public service employees. (Photo provided by Sara Fonseca)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|auto|-28px|auto||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-18px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n According to the <\/span>statement of claim<\/span><\/a> filed in federal court and posted on <\/span>a website about the the action<\/span><\/a>, \u201cFrom the late 1960s onward, the policies followed by Canada to seek employment equity and freedom from discrimination have failed Black employees in the public service due to an institutional framework built on systemic racism and racial inequality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The statement of claim describes the government\u2019s \u201creliance on the Employment Equity Act and related measures\u201d to achieve equity in the public service as subjecting Black employees to \u201cthe systemic and pervasive and unlawful practice of Black employee exclusion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The allegations have not yet been tested in court.<\/span><\/p>\n The statement of claim alleges in part that Thompson was \u201cmade a target for his efforts to assist other Black employees and to improve hiring and promotion practices\u201d at the Canada Revenue Agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”2px||0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”59px|||||”]<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the late 1960s onward, the policies followed by Canada to seek employment equity and freedom from discrimination have failed Black employees in the public service due to an institutional framework built on systemic racism and racial inequality.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n – Quote from the statement of claim filed by Thompson co-plaintiffs<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”14px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n The agency did not respond to questions about the lawsuit, Friday.<\/p>\n The statement of claim also includes an employee\u2019s description of working at the Canadian Human Rights Commission as working in a \u201cpoisoned work environment.\u201d Bernadeth Betchi took a leave of absence in 2020. According to the statement of claim, she experienced \u201cmistreatment and Black employee exclusion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Canadian Human Rights Commission shared a statement Friday: \u201cMore than two years ago, we began a commission-wide process of internal reflection to strengthen the commission and its processes. Like many organizations, we recognize that there is much work to do to fully achieve equality and inclusion. That is why the commission has been examining how racism may manifest itself within our organization and what steps might be needed to address it.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-28px|auto||auto||”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”-14px|||||”]<\/p>\n <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n On Friday, Public Service Alliance of Canada\u2019s national president Chris Aylward called on the federal government to \u201cdo what is necessary to right these wrongs and ensure that these injustices do not continue.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Aylward said the public service presents itself as a merit-based organization that represents and serves all Canadians. \u201cWhile laudable as a principle, many Canadians, particularly Black Canadians, have experienced a different reality.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Thompson called this lawsuit a battle in the history of Black people in Canada, where, he said, people who are Black are treated as second-class citizens.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeking real change throughout the entire system \u2013 solutions to address this. And we\u2019re also seeking an apology from the prime minister, the head of the government for this issue,\u201d Thompson added.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Twelve current and former civil servants filed a lawsuit this week against the federal government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=834"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":853,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions\/853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n