More than two years ago, I wrote about an Ottawa-area woman who was applying for a job with the federal government. Like many such jobs these days, she was required to apply online and complete a questionnaire. One of the questions asked her what race she was, and once she answered Caucasian the entire process was shut down.
Stories about this event prompted the government to promise action.
“I was very concerned to read the report of a position only being open to people from an identifiable group,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said at the time.
(The woman was applying for a job with Citizenship and Immigration.) (…)
Despite the promise nothing has happened.
Right now there is a job at Elections Canada restricted to women, while jobs at several other departments are open only to one of the four protected groups — “Aboriginal persons, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, women.”