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CEC Publications From
1992
Last updated July 2003
Children
A Handbook on Anti-Racism Parenting -
Illustrated handbook, Summer 1997, 30 pages.
The handbook is for parents of young children who are concerned about racism
and want to do something about it. It can be adapted by anyone who works with
children such as teachers and caregivers.
The handbook discusses how we learn racism and how we can recognize, reduce
and eliminate it. It also suggests actions parents can take to help children
respond to racism.
Child Abuse in Minority Ethnocultural Communities An Exploratory
Study, Study submitted to Multiculturalism Program,
Canadian Heritage and Family Violence Prevention Division, Health Canada,
1995, 35 pages.
This study explores the complexity of issues and suggested strategies to help
service providers assist and prevent child abuse (physical, emotional and
psychological) in minority ethnocultural communities in Canada. It has two
distinct sections; the first, a result of consultations amongst key people
from different communities; and the second, involving literature review and
in-depth interviews with community informants.
An extensive bibliography of various international and Canadian
literature on this subject is appended, as is a summary of issues from a
review of the same literature. Also as an appendix, can be found the final
report from the initial consultation and the key informant interview
schedule. The document concludes with a review of the issues, some
suggestions for prevention and identifies directions for further research.
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Constitution
/ Future of Canada
Canadian Unity and Identity: The Advantages of Diversity, October
1997, 24 pages, in English and French.
This paper was prepared by the CEC to contribute positively and creatively to
the current debate on the future of a united Canada. It is the product of
national extensive consultations with 187 individuals representing 38
ethnocultural communities.
One definite result of these consultations was a stated belief among
ethnocultural minority Canadians that Canada remain united and that Quebec be
treated as a distinct but equal member of the federation. The participants
also believed that respect for diversity, including linguistics, cultural,
ethnic, regional, religious, is vital to ensuring good relations at all
levels of Canadian society.
The paper elaborates on the discussion at the consultations and
includes suggestions of initiatives that government, individuals and
ethnocultural groups can take to strengthen Canadian identity and a sense of
Canadian nationhood.
In Support of the Aspirations of Aboriginal Peoples,
Brief submitted to The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, August 1993,
40 pages.
This succinct submission prepared for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal
Peoples by the CEC begins with a list of recommendations based on the
project. The project itself comprised of consultations with CEC member
organizations and a literature search on the issues of aboriginal peoples and
possible solutions for these concerns.
A good document if you are looking for information on the background
of the First Nations Peoples or their current circumstances. Their
experiences are specifically highlighted in the areas of land rights,
education, discrimination, women's issues, economy, employment inequity,
language and culture, health and social services, justice, housing and
others.
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Canada for all
Canadians: Building a Strong Canada Through Respect for Diversity, Brief submitted to the House
of Commons and Senate Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada, February
1992, 12 pages.
This is a more substantive and detailed follow up to a preliminary brief
presented by the CEC to the Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada in
October 1991. Based on an ongoing series of consultations amongst its member
organizations, this report examines various clauses contained in the body of
the proposed amendments to the Canadian Constitution starting from a Canada
Clause, to Senate Reform, the Council of the Federation, House of Commons Reform,
the Social Charter, Aboriginal Rights etc.
The main purpose of
this project has been to try and ensure that the interests of all Canadians
are responded to and safe-guarded within the proposed amendments to the
Constitution.
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Culture
Cultural
Policy Initiatives for A Multicultural Canada, Submission to Minister’s Forum on Diversity and
Culture, March 2003
The
State of the Canadian Broadcasting terms of Reference, Submission to The House of Commons Standing Committee on
Canadian Heritage, September
2001
Healthy Aging in Caring Communities: A Cross-Cultural Approach,
May 1998, 45 pages.
The report addresses the need for improved social support networks
and the education of health workers and community leaders on the elements of
culture as a health determinant. It deals with training and dialogue sessions
conducted in Vancouver, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, St. John's and Toronto using the
recently developed "Our Nations' Elders Speak" training model to
enhance the skills of a hundred community health workers, community leaders
and seniors working with ethnocultural and aboriginal seniors.
The report includes valuable directions for the future and the list
of trainers and organizations that participated in each of the five centres.
Comments on Structural Hearing (Notice 1992-13), Submitted to the
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), March
1993, 11 pages
This brief comments on the CRTC Notice of Public Hearing to review and
consider changes to the existing policies and regulations of the CRTC. It
urges the CRTC to ensure that Canadian broadcasting is fully reflective of
the multicultural and multiracial reality of Canadian society through their
programming and employment practices. Various needs and concerns of
ethnocultural communities, such as employment equity, improved race relations
etc. should be considered when reviewing current practices.
It is a valuable brief that contains a list of some of the key
issues that the CEC recommends for discussion at this Public Hearing for e.g.
protection from unfair competition, alternative broadcast and distribution
practices to accommodate multicultural programming and new licensing and
authoring for programs.
The 78% Factor: Multiculturalism Enriches Canadian Culture,
Brief submitted to the Standing Committee on Culture and Communications on
The Implication of Culture for Canadian Unity, January 1992, 7 pages
This brief specifically addresses the cultural aspects of multiculturalism as
separate from its social, economic and political aspects. It talks about how
the Multiculturalism Policy builds understanding and tolerance amongst
Canadians and enriches society and arts and literature.
The brief lists examples from some agencies that have included and
implemented multiculturalism in their mandate. It highlights the role of
various ethnocultural organizations in building linkages and actually
strengthening the sense of unity among Canadians and comments upon the
achievements of official and heritage languages and other diversities amongst
Canadians.
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Demography
Comments on the 1996 Census Consultation Guide, Report submitted to
Statistics Canada, May 1993, 13 pages
The main purpose of this report is to help maximize the utility of
Census data on ethnicity for all research, policy and community planning
needs and processes. It attempts to define the concept of ethnicity in its
broadest sense as related to national origin, religion or racial differences.
Various terms and response categories on the Census form are discussed to
highlight and analyze how relevant they may be as indicators of ethnicity and
how sensitive they could be toward this diversity.
The report addresses various criteria based on which Canadians may
be categorized, and though it recognizes the realistic constraints faced by
Statistics Canada, it places strong emphasis on the research potential for
cross-tabulation of such data.
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Economy
Response
to a discussion paper by the Canadian Human Rights Commission on “Legislative
Review of the Employment Equity Act”, February 2002
Ethnocultural Diversity: A Source of Competitive Advantage Conference
(Summary Report), Presented by CEC, The Conference Board of Canada, and
Canadian Heritage, February 1996, 23 pages in English and French
This conference is part of an ongoing process undertaken to explore
how businesses, government and ethnocultural communities can work together to
create jobs, develop new markets for Canadian products and services both in
Canada and abroad, and enhance Canada's competitiveness in the world.
The report reflects comments and views of the Conference
participants on specific potential business opportunities that arise from
Canada's ethnoculturally diverse population, provides a networking forum and
presents a valuable feedback on CEC's background discussion paper. It
concludes by recognizing that ethnocultural diversity has a significant
economic dimension which if properly addressed can suggest specifics on how
to create a culture that values this diversity, cross cultural negotiations
and international human resources management to assist business.
Ethnocultural Diversity: A Source of Competitive Advantage
(Background discussion paper) , Presented at the
Conference Jointly sponsored by CEC, The Conference Board of Canada, and
Canadian Heritage, December 1995, 36 pages in English and French
In consultation with key stakeholders from government, ethnocultural
communities, bilateral trade groups and business, the CEC talks about the
potential of Canada's ethnoculturally diverse population. It proposes
concrete initiatives designed to help Canadian business identify and tap into
the cultural and linguistic skills and expertise of this diverse population.
These initiatives range from a national inventory/database of
resources, to a series of regional workshops, to the importance of networking
and development of a standardized presentation kit designed to help companies
enhance their international trade, domestic marketing and human resource
management activities. The two appendices at the end of the paper are a rich
source of titles and brief outlines of related initiatives and documentation
on the same subject.
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Economic Renewal and
the Ethnocultural Communities, A conference report by the CEC submitted to the Multiculturalism
Programs, Canadian Heritage, November 1993, 23 pages.
As the Federal Government focuses on improving the economy of Canada, a
proper understanding of how to develop partnerships within the ethnocultural
communities and how to prepare the nation to meet the challenge of
globalization can go a long way in facilitating collective work between
business, government and Canada's culturally diverse population.
This report contains
the main highlights of a CEC Conference covering key speeches and workshop
sessions. These sessions addressed a wide range of issues from trying to
define what makes a successful business enterprise, to how new models and
partnerships can be created, and how a heritage languages program, the
employment of women and effective networking can all help in building the
economy.
Untapped Resources, A report submitted to the
Steering Group on Prosperity, Government of Canada, July 1992, 29 pages.
To enhance and ensure the prosperity of Canada, businesses need to learn to target
the ethnocultural minorities within Canada who can help them expand their
share in domestic and international markets. This Report is the result of
four workshops on how to eliminate barriers to employment, how to improve
Canada‚s education and training system, how to maximize use of international
skills and training of immigrants and how to best enhance the role of
ethnocultural communities in trade.
The report has detailed
observations and a list of key issues addressed at each of the workshops, and
it concludes by making recommendations regarding accreditations, employment
equity, education and language programs and so on.
Challenge Paper for
the CEC Forum on Multiculturalism and Canada's Prosperity, May 1992, 10 pages.
This paper is a backgrounder for a Forum that aims to identify strategies and
opportunities for action to ensure that Canada can optimize the achievements
of its multicultural workforce.
Canada is a highly
diverse nation, and by going international in the complete sense of the term,
Canadian business can take advantage of the varied cross cultural skills,
languages and knowledge offered by its ethnocultural minorities. A thought
provoking paper that is a must read along with the report 'Untapped
Resources' in the context of the immense potential of Canada's
ethnoculturally diverse population.
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Education
Equality of Access and Equality of Outcome, Brief to the Ontario Royal
Commission on Learning, January 1994, 13 pages.
Ethnocultural minorities represent a substantial proportion of Ontario's
population and it is necessary that this reality be reflected in every aspect
of the education system of the province. The CEC believes that the education
system must provide working models to ensure equity of access to education in
terms of physical and intellectual environments; social, emotional, cultural
and moral experiences and opportunities so that all Ontarians have the same
opportunity to succeed in life as their fellow graduates, irrespective of
their ethnocultural and racial backgrounds.
This brief makes some specific recommendations for the Government of
Ontario, the Ministry of Education and the Immigration Minister to follow
such as amending the curriculum to ensure it has an international
orientation, focusing on heritage language programs, ensuring access to
telecommunications and new technology for all educational institutions alike,
improving immigrant and refugee settlement services and continuing to include
English as Second Language and French as Second Language programs for the
province.
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Equality
Rights
Factum of the Intervener and Fact Sheet: The Legal Argument,
February 1998.
This deals with the Supreme Court Intervention on Denial of
Charitable Status as a Charter Challenge by the Canadian Ethnocultural
Council, the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations and the Minority
Advocacy and Rights Council. The Vancouver Society of Immigrant and Visible
Minority Women was denied charitable status because its activities were not
deemed charitable under Revenue Canada's definition of charity.
Taking Stock: The Jurisprudence on the Charter and Minority Rights (An
analysis of the application of the Equality Rights & Multiculturalism
sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms), Submitted to
the Equality Rights Committee, CEC, Summer 1992, 186 pages
The Equality Rights Committee came into being to complement CEC's various
advocacy activities, specifically covering the legal aspects. This report
examines judicial decisions under Section 15 (the Equality Rights Clause) and
Section 27 (the Multiculturalism Clause) of the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms.
In an attempt to involve citizens from all sectors of Canadian life
in judicial processes, to promote public information and information sharing,
this report has two detailed and seemingly technical papers that examine each
Section of the Charter and the case law to date on each of these Sections.
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Ethno
Canada - Newsletter of the CEC
Ethno Canada is a forum for communication with member organizations.
It disseminates information on its communities and recent developments of
interest in the area of multiculturalism.
Contributions of articles are accepted as personal opinions. They do
not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the CEC.
Readers' comments and suggestions are welcomed and should be sent
to:
Newsletter Editorial Committee
Canadian Ethnocultural Council
176 Gloucester St, Suite 400
Ottawa ON K2P 0A6
Tel:(613) 230-3867 Fax:(613) 230-8051
Ethno Canada ISSN 0834-4019
Member Press Release
Notices
Articles
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Foreign Policy
Brief to the Senate and House of Commons' Special Joint Committee
Reviewing Canada's Foreign Policy, July 1994, 5 pages
This is a brief presented by CEC to the Special Joint Committee reviewing
Canada's Foreign Policy, specifically discussing the benefits of working with
ethnocultural communities in developing a coherent Canadian foreign policy.
It indicates the number and potential of Canada's ethnocultural
population which constitutes more than a third of its total population.
Specific recommendations are made and substantiated by actual examples on how
to best utilize this natural resource of people to further the interests of
Canadian foreign policy in the areas of business, foreign affairs,
negotiations on bilateral and multi-lateral affairs, determining funding for
international aid programs and overcoming linguistic barriers.
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Health
Physical Activity and Type 2 Diabetes: A Guide
for Older Adults from Asian, Black and Hispanic Populations, 2002
This is a culturally appropriate and educational
guide published by the CEC in 2002. The document provides definitions of type
2 diabetes and physical activity and explains who is at risk of developing
the disease, the treatment most prescribed, and the benefits of regular
physical activity. It is a multilingual publication available in 12
languages, produced with financial assistance from the Prevention and
Promotion Contribution Program of Health Canada.
Type 2 Diabetes in Asian, Black and Hispanic
Populations, 2002
The CEC has published a culturally appropriate
educational and promotional brochure “Type 2 Diabetes in Asian, Black and
Hispanic Populations”. The publication was completed in 2002 as part of a
3-year project, “Diabetes in Older Adults from Asian, Black and Hispanic
Populations: Community-based Prevention Model”, sponsored by the CEC and
funded by Health Canada. The brochure is available in 13 languages and
includes a definition of type 2 diabetes. It also outlines who is at risk of
developing the disease, its signs and symptoms, when to be tested, normal,
high and low blood sugar levels, complications and treatment, and how to
prevent the disease and its complications.
Diabetes
in Older Adults from Asian, Black, and Hispanic Populations: Opinions and
Needs of Health Care Professionals,
2002
Ethnic
Seniors and Healthy Aging: Perceptions, Practices and Needs, 2002
Health
Care Agencies Providing Service Programs for Seniors from Diverse Cultural
Backgrounds, A
National Directory, 2002
Culturally
Appropriate Best Practices for Healthy Aging, National Focus Group Meetings, 2001
Knowledge
is the Best Medicine,
Booklet, 2000 (multilingual, in 8 languages)
Patient
Participation and Ethnic Differences: A Canadian Perspective, Article in The Patient’s Network, 2000
Use
and Misuse of Drugs by Seniors: A Cross-Cultural Education Model, Resource and Training Manual, 2000
Achievements
and Contributions of Seniors of Diverse Cultural Backgrounds, Brochure,
1999
A
Feasibility Study on Multicultural Community Care, Review of the Literature, 1998
Our
Nations’ Elders Speak, A
Resource Manual, 1997
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Immigration
Submission
on National Identity Card, to
Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, February 2003
Submission
on Bill C-18 The Citizenship Act, to The Standing Committee on Citizenship and
Immigration, January 2003
Response to the Report of the Legislative Review Advisory Group
entitled 'Not Just Numbers: A Canadian Framework for Future Immigration',
March 1998, 13 pages.
This brief focuses on the recommendations in the following chapters
of the Report: Community Participation: Active Integration, The family:
Essential for Success; Offering Canada's Protection. Other recommendations,
for example, on compliance and review procedures have been addressed in the
brief, to some extent.
Response to an Independent Review of Canada's Immigration Act, Brief submitted
to the Legislative review Advisory Group, July 1997, 10 pages.
It is important to review and shape Canada's immigration policies to ensure
that their direction is in keeping with the principles of equality and
justice contained in the Canadian Constitution and various international
instruments to which Canada is a signatory.
This independent review by the CEC and the Carleton University
Research Resource Division for Refugees discusses the management of the
immigration system and processing issues, family re-unification, independent
immigrants, refugees and other issues, and makes recommendations to ensure
that Canadian immigration law and policy incorporate a vision of immigration
that is facilitative, inclusive and integrative, as opposed to being
exclusionary and punitive.
Bill C-44: Proposed amendments to the Immigration Act and Customs
Act, Brief submitted to the Senate Committee on
Social Affairs, Science and Technology, May 1995, 6 pages.
This submission on proposed amendments to the Immigration Act and Customs Act
voices concerns of the CEC that Bill C-44 may threaten certain clauses in the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and may jeopardize Canada's position
on various International Conventions to which the country is a signatory.
As a caution that Bill C-44 not infringe on human rights, the CEC
urges that the consequences of the Bill be closely re-examined, and adherence
to international conventions be considered while implementing any changes to
the Bill. This submission also stresses the important role played by the
Immigration and Refugee Board that should maintain its independence from
other political and departmental influences.
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Submission to the
Minister of Citizenship and immigration on Canada's New Immigration Policy, August 1994, 11 pages.
In this submission the CEC commends the efforts of the Office of the Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration to include the Canadian public in the
democratic process of policy development and at the same time, cautions
against the current public backlash to immigration policies.
The submission begins
with an expansive list of specific recommendations that are a result of
ongoing CEC consultations and CEC's past and present position on immigration
issues. Each of these recommendations are examined in the latter half of the
submission and pertain to a vision of Canada, public education, Canada's
international obligations, access to information, integrity of the
Immigration Program itself and so on.
Brief to the Senate
Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology on Bill C-86 (Immigration
Act) , August
1992, 15 pages.
Canada has one the most generous immigration and refugee systems in the world
and this brief addresses the positive and negative aspects of the Immigration
Act and the latest amendment to it (i.e. Bill C-86).
The CEC observes that
one major concern about the amendment has been the total lack of public input
or consultations. Canadian immigration policies should maintain a balance
between economic and social needs of Canada and of the immigrants themselves.
This brief is very informative on various components and clauses of the
Immigration Act and closely examines the pros and cons of various provisions
under the Act.
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Integration
/ Employment
Remedy for Employment Inequity for Visible Minorities in the Federal
Public Service: CEC Recommendations, August 1997, 4 pages.
The federal Public Service has not been effective in improving its employment
equity record related to visible minorities and therefore this position paper
was submitted to various Federal Cabinet members and Government officials.
Some of the measures proposed by the CEC are to involve the Privy
Council Office and Treasury Board to mandate improved visible minority
representation in the Public Service, to include employment equity records in
the performance evaluations of managers, to urge the Prime Minister's Officer
to be a role model, and to provide sufficient resources to the Canadian Human
Rights Commission in order to perform equity audits.
Governor-in-Council Appointments: Ensuring Participation,
June 25, 1997, 6 pages.
This paper was prepared by the CEC and sent to the Prime Minister of Canada
with a view of increasing the number of Governor-in-Council appointments. The
paper includes: the result of a CEC survey of current appointments and other
observations; information about the importance of ethnocultural minority
appointments; and recommendations to make the appointment process more
transparent and to assist the Government in ensuring that future appointments
are more representative of the diversity of Canada's population.
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Response to the
Mackenzie Report to the Legal Education Committee of Upper Canada on the
Accreditation of Lawyers with Foreign Training and Experience, January 1997, 5 pages
This brief to the Law Society of Upper Canada is a response to the issues
raised and recommendations made in the May 1996 Mackenzie Report on the
Accreditation of Lawyers with Foreign Training and Experience.
The mandate of the
National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) is to ensure that Canadians are
well served by accredited lawyers with an appropriate level of skill and
knowledge. This Brief addresses some clauses of the Mackenzie Report that may
result in systemic barriers reducing access to the Canadian legal profession
for some ethnic and racial minorities. It stresses on the importance of
cultural awareness and understanding, and comparative perspectives that
members of the ethnocultural community may bring to the legal profession.
Response to the
Consultation Paper on Racial Equality by the Canadian Bar Association Working
Group on Racial Equality, January 1997, 14 pages.
Respect for the justice system comes when justice is seen to be done. This
brief to the Canadian Bar Association Working Group on racial Equality in the
legal profession looks specifically at four areas within the profession (i.e.
access to justice, entry into the profession, practice issues and the
judiciary as a whole).
The CEC stresses the
need to provide legal access to minority ethnocultural and racialized
communities, to make efforts to recruit minorities into law schools, to
diversify the demographic make-up of the legal profession to include minority
representation and to improve cultural awareness training for members of the
judiciary.
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Regulations and
Compliance Mechanisms Under the New Employment Equity Act, Comments submitted to Human
Resource Development Canada and Canadian Human Rights Commission, July 1996,
4 pages.
These comments on regulations and compliance mechanisms for Bill C-64 were
presented to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and Human Resources
development Canada in a letter form.
This letter begins by
recognizing the achievements to date of the Employment Equity Act and goes on
to suggest further measures to help extend its coverage and optimize its
efficacy. It stresses the need for sufficient resources to be provided to the
CHRC to manage compliance audits, public education, a standardized
questionnaire for collecting data, validity time-spans for this data.
The concluding note of
this letter is the suggestion that a formalized, ongoing consultation process
be initiated to monitor the implementation and achievements of the Employment
Equity Act.
Presentation on Bill
C-64 (Employment Equity Bill) to the Standing Committee on Human Rights and
Status of Disabled Persons, February 1995, 6 pages.
This presentation to the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Status of
Disabled Persons about Bill C-64 (Employment Equity Bill) addresses key
aspects of the Bill and its application, followed by an expansive list of
very specific recommendations.
The CEC highlights the
need for extending the coverage of Bill C-64 to more federal and private
employers and to clarify and tighten reporting requirements. It urges for
open access to an Employment Equity Review Tribunal and the enforcing of
financial penalties for non-compliance. It also stresses that all four
designated groups according to the Bill (i.e. women, aboriginal peoples,
persons with disabilities and visible minorities), should be adequately
represented on an Employment Equity Tribunal.
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Integration from the
Ethnocultural Communities' Perspective: A study of the main indicators of
integration into Canadian society, Brief submitted to Multiculturalism Program, Canadian
Heritage, June 1994, 57 pages.
This study identifies integration into Canadian Society from the perspective
of ethnocultural communities as an on-going, multidimensional process.
According to representatives of CEC member organizations and ethnic community
members, there are various indicators of this integration and several
challenges to this process of integration. Research on this issue is relevant
because it attempts to clearly define integration and discuss its specific
aspects such as psychology, language, economy, social/cultural, education and
politics.
Attached as appendices
are the list of participants who formed the sample, the detailed interview
schedule used for data collection, and the main issues as discovered in a
review of relevant literature. The study lays down a framework for proposed
further in-depth research on integration from the ethnocultural perspective.
Towards Equity:
Review of the Canadian Judicial Process, Brief submitted to the Department of Justice on
the Review of Federal Judicial Appointments, October 1993, 4 pages.
This brief represents the position of the CEC on federal judicial
appointments which have a gender and ethnic bias, thereby resulting in an
under-representation of women and visible minorities as federally appointed
judges.
The CEC recommends that
such nominations should reflect the composition of Canadian society (i.e.
they should include women, ethnic and visible minorities, aboriginal peoples,
groups of different sexual orientation and so on).
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Limited Visibility:
The Representation of Visible Minorities in Federally-Regulated Corporations
from 1988 to 1990,
CEC study released in April 1992, 41 pages, in English and French.
This bilingual report and its appendices are a treasure trove of data and
graphs on the representation of visible minorities in federally-regulated
corporations. The statistical figures that are examined and compared in the
report are from 1988-1990 and serve as a marker for charting the achievements
of the Employment Equity Act in its fourth year.
The various sectors
covered under this study are banking, communications and media, and
transportation. The study of each individual sector covers an overall
analysis, specific sample analysis, data on minority representation in
managerial and professional positions and its hiring and promoting trends.
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Employment Inequity:
The Representation of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service
1988-1991,
April 1992, 47 pages in English and French.
This bilingual report evaluates the achievement of the Canadian Government's
Employment Equity Act four years after it came into effect. A detailed
analysis of data on visible minority representation within various
departments reveals wide disparities with respect to their employment status
in various sections.
The CEC recommends
certain amendments to the Employment Equity Act to extend its coverage to all
federal departments and to create an Employment Equity Commission to enforce
the Act. It also requests for an annual report to help monitor achievements,
provide for management accountability and public education campaigns to help
support and enforce employment equity. The entire report, and specially its appendices
are an excellent compilation of data sourced from documents of the Treasury
Board and the Public Service Commission.
Brief to the Special
Committee on the Review of the Employment Equity Act, March 1992, 15 pages.
CEC believes that employment equity makes sense from a legal, economic and
social justice standpoint. This brief based on the first National Meeting of
the National Employment Equity Network (NEEN) suggests solutions for various
issues affecting the four designated groups within the Employment Equity Act:
women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities.
The suggested
resolutions range from amending the Employment Equity Act to optimize its
coverage; extending its applicability to cover part-time and contract
employees; including compliance reviews, audits and accountability mechanisms
within the Act; creating an independent Employment Equity Commission to
effectively enforce the Act and the need for public education campaigns and
in-depth studies on Employment Equity.
Brief to the Office
of the Employment Equity Commissioner, February 1992, 10 pages.
This brief is an excellent comment on the proposed Employment Equity
legislation by the Government and it closely examines the various alternative
approaches suggested by the Government to legislate the Act. A very
illuminating and thorough read along with the original text of the
legislation.
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Multiculturalism
Pre-Budget
Presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance, May 2002
Ethnocultural/Ethnoracial
Advocacy Groups, State Funding and Charitable Tax Status, October 2001
Towards
an Inclusive and Multicultural Nation, Presentation to the Ottawa Transition Board, April 2000
Multiculturalism, Citizenship and the Canadian Nation: A Critique of the
Proposed Design for Program Renewal, Paper submitted to Multiculturalism
Program, Canadian Heritage, March 1997, 9 pages.
In this paper, the CEC expresses some serious doubts and concerns regarding
both the thinking and orientation that informs the proposed design for
renewal of the Multiculturalism Program - outlined in a draft document
produced by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.
The 42 Percent Solution: Making Equality a Reality: A Response to
the Strategic Review of the Multiculturalism Programs of the Department of
Canadian Heritage, November 1995, 18 pages.
This report is a good source for information and issues pertaining to
multiculturalism and the related programs of the Department of Canadian
Heritage in light of a growing myth that multiculturalism is divisive.
Based on an extended consultation process with its member
organizations, the CEC suggests various means to ensure involvement of
ethnocultural communities at the policy level in the workings of the Canadian
Government.
This report recommends a framework of action for mainstreaming
multiculturalism through the implementation of the multiculturalism policy
and the equality provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Brief on Bill C-53: An Act to establish the Department of Canadian
Heritage and to amend and repeal certain other Acts
Submitted to the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology,
March 1995, 8 pages.
This brief on Bill C-53 focuses mainly on the most important aspect
of the proposed Department of Canadian Heritage's mandate - the
multiculturalism policy, and its benefits. For example, the influence on
public opinion, economic benefits of diversity, and special interest group
funding provisions.
The CEC has suggested some amendments to the text of the Bill to
ensure that the Department of Canadian Heritage can fully take on the
responsibilities and mandate of the former Department of Multiculturalism and
Citizenship. CEC believes that multiculturalism is about practicing democracy
and ensuring that Canada remains one of the best countries in the world to
live in.
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Brief to the House
of Commons' Standing Committee on Multiculturalism and Citizenship on the
Implementation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, April 1992, 35 pages,
available in English and French.
The CEC believes that the Canadian Multiculturalism Act requires all federal
institutions to take specific action to implement the Multiculturalism
Policy. The report begins by listing priorities for effectively implementing
the Act and the recommendations are listed specifically under various
categories such as cross-government implementation, cultural affairs and
national identity, economic affairs, health and social policy, international
trade, foreign and defence policy, justice and legal affairs and so on.
The second half of this
report closely examines the achievements of 27 federal departments in their
efforts to implement the Act and accurately represent the multicultural
reality of Canada. The report has detailed lists of the multicultural
initiatives of each of theses 27 departments from 1989-1991 that are very
informative.
Social
Security
Social Security Reform, Brief submitted to the House of Commons
Standing Committee on Human Resources Development, December 1994, 9 pages.
The CEC believes that social security is a reflection of fundamental Canadian
values of equity and social justice. This submission is based on a series of
consultations between CEC members and other ethnocultural and immigrant
communities across Canada and is a valuable feedback from them on Social
Security Reform and the Government's Discussion Paper.
There are various concerns about the public consultation process
such as access to funding for organizing such research and consultation, a
need to include issues effecting ethnocultural minority communities, a need
to link concerns of such minority communities to those of the mainstream and
so on. This submission considers such concerns when it concludes by listing
some alternative options for building Canada's new Social Security System.
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