Quebec Human Rights Commission criticized for being too white, too French

The Quebec Human Rights Commission — responsible for enforcing employment equity laws and investigating racial-profiling complaints — is being criticized for its failure to diversify its own senior management team.

"There are almost no managers from racial minority backgrounds; there are no anglophones, not enough ethnic diversity," said Fo Niemi, the executive director of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).

"One has to practise what one preaches, starting inside and starting at the top," Niemi told CBC Thursday.

Niemi wrote to the acting president of the commission last week to raise CRARR's concerns. He said the commission hasn't responded to his letter.

12 of 15 senior managers are white francophones

According to CRARR, 12 of 15 senior management positions at the commission are occupied by white francophones. 

The current president, Tamara Thermitus, is black, but she's been on sick leave since last fall.

One other senior management position is occupied by a visible minority. One position is vacant.

As part of its mission, the commission is responsible for enforcing a Quebec law that requires Crown corporations and government agencies with 100 employees or more to implement employment equity for women, Indigenous people, ethnic minorities, visible minorities and people with disabilities.

"In the end, what is the human rights commission for, in terms of defending and promoting employment equity, when it can't practise that itself, inside?" Niemi asked.

Less than a handful of Anglos

Niemi also said that of about 150 total staff employed by the commission, he believes only two or three are anglophones. He said this is unacceptable, especially given the fact that the commission's head office is in Montreal.

"For Christ's sake! This is Montreal. We can't have an organization that has so few anglophones present," Niemi said.

"We're going public very soon with a case in which the commission really did an awful, awful job in the case of an English-speaking black mother and her child," he said.

Commissioners more diverse

The commission issued a formal response to CRARR's criticisms Friday.

"The Quebec Human Rights Commission wishes to reassure the public that it has bilingual staff in each of its branches in sufficient numbers to respond to the population in the English language," the statement sent to CBC read.

On Thursday, a spokesperson pointed out that while senior staff may be mostly white francophones, the 13 appointed members of the commission responsible for issuing decisions are from more diverse backgrounds.

Of those 13, four are visible minorities, and one is anglophone.