Local black Canadians face 'systemic barriers' to senior-level jobs, critics say

The population of black Canadians in Ottawa-Gatineauhas almost doubled over the last 10 years, but that increase doesn't show up amongsenior positions in the region's public institutionsand businesses, according to some politicians, bureaucrats and settlement workers.

Theblack Canadian population in the regionincreased by 73.6 per cent between 2006 and 2016, nearly doubling from 45,000 to 78,000, according to Statistics Canada's most recent data.

When we look at the two main birthplaces of the black populationin Ottawa-Gatineau,Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo come first.- HlneMaheux, Statistics Canada analyst

The increaseis mainly due to risingimmigration from the West Indies and Africa, with moreimmigrants arrivingfrom Africa than from Europe for the first time.

According to the data, 78per cent of black Canadians live on the Ottawa side, while 22 per centlive in Gatineau.

The Canadiancity with the largest population of black people is Toronto, followed by Montreal and theOttawa-Gatineauarea a ranking that was consistent in both 2011 and 2016.

"When we look at the two main birthplaces of the black populationin Ottawa-Gatineau,Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo come first," saidHlne Maheux, an analyst with Statistics Canada, in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada.

"In Ottawa-Gatineau, 66 per centof people reported African origins and 32 per centof [people reported] Caribbean origins."

'There are systemic barriers'

This demographic boom, however, is not reflected in the numberof black people present in public institutions and businesses in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, according toGreg Fergus, the Liberal MP for Hull-Aylmer.

"When you look at the profile of newcomers or the black population in the area, you can see they are very well-educated but they are not found in senior positions in the public service," Fergus told Radio-Canada in French.

"You have to ask ... why it's like that [and]how can you fix the situation."

Seven out of 338 MPs in the House of Commons are black one of the highest percentages ever, but a sign there are still too few black Canadians in federal politics, Fergus said.

"I think there are systemic barriers that need to be crossed," he said.

Public service 'pitfalls'

Visible minorities accounted for 16.2 per centof the federal public service workforce in 2016, a slight increase from the previous year.

Thatdata, however, "is not divided into subcategories" such asblack-Canadian,said Martin Potvin, aspokespersonat the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Like Fergus, Larry Rousseau, the vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, also spoke of systemic barriers preventing black Canadians from climbing the civil service job ladder.

We [do] not recognize people's skills. And that's unfortunate.- Larry Rousseau, vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress

"There are efforts to hire people. But once people are recruited, we saw that visible minorities, and especially blacks, remained at the level where they were hired," saidRousseau, who once worked for Statistics Canada and was also vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Rousseau said a worker mightenter the public service with strong skills, but when thoseskills aren't recognized or exploited, the psychological impact can be devastating.

"We have seensystemic pitfalls that resulted from racism and intolerance," he said. "We [do] not recognize people's skills. And that's unfortunate."

Rousseau said he does think the environment may be changing in part because, in the lastbudget, the federal Liberal government announced a$23-million investmentover two yearsto fight racism and promote multiculturalism.

Justin Trudeau's government also said it recognized the important and unique challenges faced by black Canadians, promising$19 million over five years to support at-risk black youth. The money will alsofund programs for black people with mental health issues.

In addition, the Public Service Commission's latest report has recognized that "it is essential to increase and improve communication activities in order to attract candidates from a variety of backgrounds."

Younger, more educated immigrants

Black immigrants are increasingly educated and better equipped to integrate into the labour market, according to someOttawa-Gatineaunewcomer settlement organizations.

"Immigrants who come to see us are very educated, compared to previous years," said Franoise Magunira, a program manager at the Economic and Social Council of Ottawa-Carleton.

"We have many who have a university degree, and others who have a high school diploma," she said in French.

However, there remains a lack of diversity among Ottawa-Gatineauentrepreneurs, said Nada Bensouda, the executive director of the National Capital Business Coalition.

"The reason, perhaps, why our membership is not [so diverse] is that we should work on our message and how to attract them to our group," saidBensouda.

The coalition does not keep precise statistics on the number of black entrepreneurs in the region.

The integration of black Canadians into the local business community is "everyone's business," said George Philippe Jean, vice-president of the GatineauChamber of Commerce.

Last year, the chamber of commerce set up a cultural diversity group to showentrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds how to increase their visibility and promote their skills.

"This cause belongs to all [of us]," Jean told Radio-Canada.

"If we can increase the pool of black entrepreneurs in Gatineau and if we manage to exploit their entrepreneurial skills, their expertise, their creativity everyone will benefit."