NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release:

OTTAWA -- 14 June 2002

Judi Longfield, Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, today tabled a report entitled Promoting Equality in the Federal Jurisdiction: A Review of the Employment Equity Act. This report represents the results of the third parliamentary review of employment equity and the first review of the current Employment Equity Act.

The Committee began its review of the Act in December 2001 and since then has sought the views of almost 100 witnesses representing a wide spectrum of interests from across the country. “The vast majority of the witnesses who appeared before the Committee expressed the view that there is a continuing need for this legislation”, Judi Longfield said. “In addition to enhancing fairness in federal workplaces, they told the Committee that this law is good for business and is helping employers prepare to meet their future workforce needs.” 

The report does not call for a significant departure from the current Act, a position supported by many of those who appeared before the Committee. The 29 recommendations presented in the report are best described as directions for fine-tuning a law that has produced some positive results in raising the relative level of employment among Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities and women. However, the Committee recognizes that the job of building a more “representative” workforce has just begun, and much remains to be done to achieve greater equality in workplaces covered under the law. In particular, the Committee believes that a greater focus needs to be afforded to Aboriginal people and persons with disabilities, and in this regard it recommends establishing workplace strategies that identify specific resources and targets for promoting employment among members of these designated groups.

The Committee maintains that employment equity issues need to be addressed on both sides of the labour market. To this end, the report recommends, among other things, that sufficient funds be allocated to enhance human resources development among members of designated groups and that new funding and eligibility criteria be incorporated in the next generation of Labour Market Development Agreements. The Committee also calls for much-needed action to develop a system for recognizing foreign credentials, a long-standing policy objective of the government.

For the most part, employers covered under the Act are trying to meet their employment equity obligations. Nevertheless, the Committee believes that greater success can be realized by promoting employment equity, by educating employers and by providing employers with more guidance, technical support and advice.   

The Committee does not recommend a substantial change in coverage under the Act, but acknowledges that the Parliament should be subject to the same reporting obligations and compliance audits as those imposed on large federally regulated private sector employers, as well as federal departments and agencies. The Committee also recommends a tightening in the administration of the Federal Contractors Program, although not covered directly under the Employment Equity Act, to ensure that participating employers meet the same employment equity obligations as employers covered under the legislation.  The Committee does not propose a change in the number or composition of designated groups covered under the Act, but it does recommend that the definition of persons with disabilities be changed. In addition, labour force availability data pertaining to persons with disabilities should be as current as data pertaining to other employment equity groups.

The Committee believes that there is some scope for improving the administration of the Employment Equity Act and also agrees that some of the statutory requirements under this law should be clarified. The Committee recommends that employers’ reporting obligations under the Act be studied, and that this study include an examination of the feasibility of biennial reporting and a greater emphasis on qualitative employment equity measures implemented by employers.

Most members of the Committee are opposed to changing the thrust of the Act’s enforcement provisions significantly and support a continued emphasis on co-operation and negotiation.

The Committee’s report requests a comprehensive response from the Government within 150 days.

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