Internal report describes a ‘cesspool of racism’ in the federal public service

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details of racism and suicidal ideation

An internal report on workplace racism and harassment at the highest levels of the federal public service shows that not even the federal government’s top executives are immune to the problem.

The government-funded report on the experiences of Black public servants in the senior ranks of government — obtained by CBC News — includes first-hand accounts of racist remarks, harassment, intimidation and threats that have harmed the mental health of public servants, especially Black women.

“Crucially, Black women detailed workplace conflicts so severe that they led to chronic depression, the use of antidepressant medications, and suicide attempts,” the report says.

The report also documents instances of Black public servants being called the N-word at work, sexual harassment and even threats of physical violence. It also raises concerns about internal complaint processes being weaponized against Black executives.

The report was initiated by the Black Executives Network, a support group for Black executives in the federal public service. The network is funded by multiple government departments. 

CBC obtained a copy of the report and an email from the country’s top public servant — Clerk of the Privy Council John Hannaford — addressing the report’s findings and providing a preliminary response plan. 

“What is relayed in the report is deeply concerning and we are distressed to think that some members of the Black executive community have reported that they have lived or are living through these kinds of experiences,” Hannaford said in the email.

Hannaford and several other senior public servants sent the email to all deputy ministers and the Black Executives Network.

Saint Mary’s University senior researcher Rachel Zellars authored the peer-reviewed report. Zellars, a lawyer, frequently undertakes research and training for the federal government.

“As a researcher who has conducted over a thousand interviews with public servants since 2019, these interviews are collectively the most distressing that I have witnessed and recorded,” Zellars says in the report.

The study interviewed more than 100 current and former Black public servants who occupied senior or executive roles in Canada’s public service.

Threats of violence

The report lays out allegations made by Black executives — whose names, positions and departments were withheld from the report. Executives spoke about how they were threatened with physical violence during their careers.

“One former executive shared how a white colleague raised a chair at him and threatened to ‘beat the N-word out of him’ during a meeting with other participants,” the report details. “Strikingly, no one in the meeting room intervened on his behalf.”

In another episode cited in the report, a public servant said a colleague “in anger … threw something at her.”

The report says 62 per cent of respondents reported instances of workplace harassment or intimidation, or threats of reputational harm made by supervisors or senior leaders.

“One Black male executive, with a high level of specialization, described his work environment as a ‘cesspool of racism,'” says the report, adding the executive reported often having to tell people he obtained his position through “merit” and not because of his race.

In their email, Hannaford and the other civil service chiefs vowed to take action.

“We are committed to ensuring that we address these issues and will personally review the report and recommendations to make sure that we implement actions that bring lasting change,” they wrote.

The Treasury Board Secretariat, the human resources arm of the federal public service, issued a statement Friday that did not go as far as Hannaford’s email in acknowledging what the report uncovered.

The statement said a preliminary response plan has been developed and Hannaford will be meeting with Zellars, executives and the deputy ministers that lead core government departments next week. 

The report says many Black executives reported career stagnation — spending years in acting positions or training subordinates who eventually are promoted above them.

“I was called for 911 situations, but only ever allowed to act,” the report quotes one female respondent as saying. “I never once got the positions I acted in.”

Forty-two per cent of English speaking Black public servants reported struggles in securing the language training they need to advance in their careers.

One Black female executive told the author of the report that her “Quebecois director” suggested she not learn French at the expense of the department.

“She stated that she learned ‘English on her own by reading in English and sleeping with Anglophone men,'” reads one line of the report.

Class-action alleges decades of discrimination

The report is landing as many Black public servants are seeking the Federal Court’s clearance to sue the federal government.

A proposed class-action lawsuit — launched in 2020 — alleges Black public servants have endured decades of systemic racism and discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that since the 1970s, roughly 30,000 Black employees have lost out on opportunities and benefits afforded to others because of their race.

It seeks $2.5 billion in compensation for economic hardship and a mental health plan for employees’ pain and trauma. Plaintiffs also want a plan to diversify the federal labour pool.

The case is currently before a Federal Court judge in Toronto, who is expected to rule on whether to certify the class-action. 

WATCH | Black-class action plaintiff says the report brought him to tears 

Nicholas Marcus Thompson, CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, says he ‘came to tears at points reading the report’ on workplace racism and harassment at the highest levels of the Canadian public service.

“I came to tears at points reading the report, hearing the stories of so many women, who can be my mother, who can be my grandmother … hearing their pain and suffering for so long while so many look on and not do anything about it,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, the lead plaintiff in the proposed class action.

“That is the horrific experience of many Black workers.”

The report offers multiple recommendations, including a zero tolerance policy on anti-Black racism, mandatory training, coaching for Black public servants and the establishment of a “Black Equity Commissioner” with a watchdog role within government.

The report also calls for greater accountability for senior leaders who “failed to acknowledge and challenge managers’ antiblack treatment towards Black executives.”

This is not the first report from Zellars about workplace racism and harassment in the federal public service.

A report she drafted that was released in July concluded that Black, Indigenous and racialized employees in the Privy Council Office are regularly subjected to a culture of “racial stereotyping, microaggression and verbal violence.”

The Privy Council Office’s 1,200 employees make up the lead branch of the civil service, providing support for the prime minister and cabinet in executing policy directives across the federal government.

That July report said Black employees reported managers using the N-word “comfortably in their presence” and later expressing surprise after being told� it’s a term of contempt for Black people.