Preserving gains in an economic downturn

The last quarter of 2001 was marked by economic turmoil, including large layoffs in several sectors of our economy. Among the industrial sectors under federal jurisdiction, airlines have been particularly hurt by the tragic events of September 11. With the workforces shrinking in some areas, it may be tempting to set aside concerns about employment equity. The Commission believes this would be a mistaken case of throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Social justice should always be the foundation of our economy, in good times and bad.

The Employment Equity Act is particularly well-designed in this regard. While it requires employers to set goals for hiring, it does not expect them to hire an arbitrary number of employees from designated groups. In fact, the Act specifically states that this is not its purpose. When new jobs are created or become vacant, the legislation seeks to ensure that designated groups get equal access to these jobs, and that they be represented in a fair proportion among those hired. When no hiring occurs, employers do not fail if they do not increase the number of designated group members. Of course, in times of layoff, employers should make every effort to guarantee that designated groups are not unfairly affected, but they do not have to create openings to meet hiring goals.

The Act, therefore, has the built-in flexibility to adapt to changing economic conditions, while preserving fundamental principles of equality among all Canadians.

Positive practices in the private sector

Section 3 of this report has described in detail the trends in the public sector, which is diversified but is led from the centre by the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Public Service Commission as joint public service employers. In the private sector, such central trends are rarer, as there are close to 400 employers, and few industry-wide bodies. This section, therefore, presents positive practices through individual examples of employers that have advanced employment equity in their own companies.

Case study 1 in the private sector

Vancouver International Airport Authority: Targeted Recruitment, Training, and Accessibility

The Airport Authority has few areas of under-representation, mainly for persons with disabilities and Aboriginals. To close these gaps, it has focused its employment equity plan on special recruiting efforts. These include sending job postings to the British Columbia Paraplegic Foundation, Career Place Investing in Aboriginal Women, the Neil Squire Foundation, and nearby Aboriginal communities.

The Airport Authority sponsors training that reflects the needs of designated group members; for example, training in English as a second language and career explorations through its tuition reimbursement program. It also offers training on respect in the workplace, balancing work and personal life, ergonomics, and an employment equity presentation for new employees.

Because its mandate is to serve the travelling public, the Airport Authority has paid close attention to accessibility issues. It aims at a barrier-free design for all its facilities, and this benefits employees as well as the public. It has developed a CD-ROM on how to remove barriers to accessibility, which it distributes to other employers and the community to encourage these practices. Through a consultant, it offers a disability awareness course to its employees. Other measures include insisting that at least 5% of the taxi cab fleet serving the airport be accessible.

Case study 2 in the private sector

Hiring Visible Minorities at Williams Moving and Storage (BC)

This employer has set high standards for hiring visible minority managers, at almost double their availability in the Canadian labour market. The company believes that by hiring more visible minority managers, it will project the image of being an equal opportunity employer throughout the various communities in which it operates. As well, Williams Moving believes that a "top-down" approach is necessary if a representative workforce is to be achieved and maintained.

Case study 3 in the private sector

Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company Limited (HBM&S)

Despite continually downsizing its workforce over the last few years, HBM&S has been able to improve the internal representation of each designated group since 1989. In particular, it has significantly improved the representation of Aboriginal employees and visible minorities.

The company is also particularly proud of implementing a modified work program for injured or ill employees who are unable to fulfill all their duties on a temporary or permanent basis. This program is overseen by a company/union committee.

Case study 4 in the private sector

Accommodating Persons with Disabilities at Citibank

Citibank is a financial services organization that has taken active measures to increase the number of persons with disabilities in its ranks. It ensures that on-campus recruitment is conducted at sites that are accessible, and has placed newspaper advertisements inviting persons with disabilities to apply. The bank also audited the referral and search agencies that it uses for external hiring to confirm that their premises are accessible and that their selection techniques do not exclude persons with disabilities. It has committed to accommodate interviewees.

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