Task force rejects calls for special employment status for Jewish, Muslim public servants

Months before the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war ramped up ethic and religious tensions in many Canadian communities, a government task force rejected requests to recognize Muslim and Jewish public servants as separate groups facing systemic workplace barriers, CBC News has learned.

Muslim and Jewish public servants asked to be designated as employment equity groups under the Employment Equity Act nearly two years ago in submissions to the task force, set up by Employment and Social Development Canada.

CBC News obtained the Muslim Federal Employees Network (MFEN) submission through an access to information request, and the one from the Jewish Public Service Network (JPSN) by asking for a copy.

«The inclusion of religious minorities would provide obligations on behalf of the employer toward removing barriers to religious minorities in the public service, so that they may bring their whole selves to work, including Jews,» says the JPSN's submission, which also asked that Jews be identified both as an ethno-cultural group and as a religious group under the law.

«Discrimination and socio-economic barriers continue to exist for Canadian Muslims. These barriers will not disappear without intervention,» said the MFEN's submission. «We recommend that Muslims are added to the Employment Equity Act as a designated employment equity group.»

The Employment Equity Act (EEA) was introduced in 1986 to knock down employment barriers facing four marginalized groups: women, Indigenous people, people with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

The legislation requires that federally regulated employers with more than 100 employees use data collection and proactive hiring to ensure that these groups are not under-represented in their