Black Class Action Secretariat

02/18/2026

The Hill Times: Celebrating Black Canadian trailblazers who’ve played a critical role in public life.

02/03/2026

This Black History Month, the Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS) marks five years since we began our work to dismantle systemic discrimination in Canada’s public institutions.

What started as workers coming together to speak up about injustice grew into a national movement for accountability, dignity, and real change.

Over these five years, five moments stand out.

First, in 2021, the Public Service Employment Act was amended to address systemic discrimination in staffing. For the first time, the law acknowledged that discrimination in hiring and promotion is not just about individual decisions, but about systems.

Second, in 2022 BCAS submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, documenting systemic anti-Black discrimination within Canada’s federal public service and Canada’s failure to meet its international human rights obligations.

Third, the federal government launched a full review of the Employment Equity Act in 2021 and committed to recognizing Black workers as a distinct employment equity group in 2023. This shift came after years of organizing, testimony, and legal action.

Fourth, In 2024 BCAS filed a formal complaint against the Canadian Human Rights Commission with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, the international body responsible for accrediting national human rights institutions, documenting discrimination against Black and racialized workers within the Commission itself. This action triggered a special review of the Commission’s accreditation, bringing rare international scrutiny and accountability to a Canadian institution and leading to changes within the body.

Fifth, the establishment of a $50 million mental health and career development program for Black public service workers in 2023/2024. This fund arose after an emergency motion was filed in the Federal Court of Canada to address racial trauma that workers experienced as a result systemic discrimination.

These changes came from pressure, organizing, and people refusing to accept the status quo.

But progress is fragile. Current austerity measures and public sector cuts are already reversing gains. And once again, Black workers are among the first to feel the impact.

Black History Month is not just about remembering the past. It is about what is happening now.

This month and beyond, BCAS continues to call on the Government of Canada to honour its commitments and to fully implement the recommendations of the Adelle Blackett Employment Equity Act Task Force.

Because change on paper is not enough.
Recognition without action is not justice.

Five years in, the work continues.
And we are not done.

Become a member today and support Black history in real-time bcas-srcn.org/membership

11/06/2025

Over the past five years, BCAS has led campaigns at the Privy Council Office, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Immigration and Refugee Board exposing harmful practices and systemic barriers that affect workers.

These efforts have led to leadership changes, organizational reviews, and growing awareness across the country about the reality of discrimination, racism, and harassment in our public institutions.

To keep this work going, we encourage workers from all levels of Government, as well as the Canadian public to become members of BCAS. Your membership strengthens our collective voice, and supports the campaigns and advocacy that make a difference for all workers.

Become a member today!

Support the BCAS in its mission to combat systemic discrimination, racism and harassment. By becoming a member, you help drive meaningful change, promote equity and justice, and advocate for the rights of marginalized communities.

10/31/2025

The Black Class Action Secretariat is outraged by revelations that the Government of Canada has spent more than $15 million fighting Black public sector workers in court for the last five years.

“This is not just hypocrisy, it is anti-Black racism in action,” says Nicholas Marcus Thompson, with the Black Class Action Secretariat. “While the government publicly acknowledges the existence of anti-Black discrimination and settles class actions brought by other groups, it continues to target Black workers with costly and aggressive legal battles. By choosing to fight rather than fix the problem, the government reinforces the very systemic racism it claims to oppose.”

Read full statement:

The Black Class Action Secretariat is outraged by revelations that the Government of Canada has spent more than $15 million fighting Black p

10/31/2025

Canada apologized for racism in the military today. At the same time, the Justice Department confirmed it spent more than $15 million fighting Black workers who dared to challenge racism. Let that sink in.

10/27/2025

Following our recent exposure of widespread discrimination at Global Affairs Canada, and previously at the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Privy Council Office, the very top of Canada’s public service, the BCAS and the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination is hosting a national town hall this Saturday November 1, at 2:00 pm. EST

This is open to all public service workers at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, and to Canadians who share our mission to end racism, discrimination, and harassment in our institutions.

These problems don’t just harm workers. They weaken our public service and affect every Canadian who depends on it.
Discrimination destroys trust, drains morale, and undermines the quality of services Canadians receive.

We need to come together to fix what’s broken.
This isn’t a Black or Brown problem. It’s a Canadian problem.

Join us as we stand for fairness, accountability, and the public service Canada deserves.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CsFgE_IDRQWb8xBkRLTPIAae

10/22/2025

Press Conference at 11:00am

Current and Former staff speak out about widespread harassment and discrimination at Global Affairs Canada

OTTAWA - Oct 21, 2025 – The Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination (CAWD), led by The Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS) will hold a national press conference to expose widespread discrimination at Global Affairs Canada (GAC), following testimony from more than 100 current and former employees, and a court-ordered investigation confirming serious misconduct.

Current and former Global Affairs Canada employees will share their experiences of racism, discrimination, and retaliation, while posted both abroad and at home, and the systems that continue to fail to protect them.

The personal account and official findings raise serious questions about accountability, leadership, and Canada’s human-rights credibility abroad, particularly as the country seeks a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

DATE: Tuesday, October 22, 2025�TIME: 11:00 a.m. ET��Media Contact: mailto:[email protected]

In Ottawa, former public service workers hold a press conference to allege widespread harassment and discrimination at Global Affairs Canada. The press conference is hosted by the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination, led by the Black Class Action Secretariat. (no interpretation)

08/01/2025

Emancipation Day: Remembering, Resisting, Rising

Today, on Emancipation Day, the Black Class Action Secretariat honours the unbreakable spirit of resistance and hope that defines the Black experience in Canada.

We recognize and celebrate the hard-won progress achieved through generations of struggle, sacrifice, and unwavering advocacy. Yet the very structures born out of slavery and colonialism remain alive today. These systems continue to adapt, often in subtle ways, threatening to erode hard-won gains and block the path to true liberation.

This legacy lives on in anti-Black racism embedded in our institutions, in public service, education, policing, healthcare, and immigration. Through the Black Class Action, we see the clear throughline: the systems that once enslaved Black people now restrict opportunity, suppress voices, and block advancement.

Read full statement:

Today, on Emancipation Day, the Black Class Action Secretariat honours the unbreakable spirit of resistance and hope that defines the Black experience in Canada.We begin by acknowledging that we stand on the traditional and unceded territories of Indigenous Peoples. These lands, like our communities...

05/29/2025

The Black Class Action Secretariat is proud to announce an exciting new placement partnership with Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University to advance social justice and systemic advocacy. The Black Class Action Social Justice Placement, launching in the summer of 2025, will provide a funded professional placement opportunity for Lincoln Alexander Law students to gain hands-on experience in litigation, legal research, and advocacy while working to dismantle systemic discrimination in employment.

“The Black Class Action Social Justice Placement is a bold step forward in equipping the next generation of legal professionals with the tools to fight systemic discrimination and ensure access to justice for all,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of BCAS. “We are proud to partner with the Lincoln Alexander School of Law to provide this unique opportunity for students to make a meaningful impact.”

Learn more:

The Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS) is proud to announce an exciting new placement partnership with Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University to advance social justice and systemic advocacy. The Black Class Action Social Justice Placement, launching in the summer of 20...

05/14/2025

"If you use the complaints process, your career is dead."

This devastating testimony, shared anonymously by a Black executive in the federal public service, exposes the harsh truth about systemic anti-Black racism at the highest levels of government.

They cannot speak openly out of fear. But their story speaks for thousands.

Watch. Listen. Understand the weight of this moment.

For decades, Black workers have followed the rules, filed grievances, and trusted in broken systems, only to be denied justice again and again.

Now, we need leadership.

When Parliament resumes, The Honourable John Zerucelli, Secretary of Labour, must bring forward the long-overdue amendments to the Employment Equity Act, including the formal recognition of Black workers as a designated group.

This can’t wait. Our voices have gone unheard for far too long.

We demand justice. We demand action.

05/04/2025

The time for action is now.

The new Government of Canada (Mark Carney) must move swiftly to address the ongoing crisis of systemic anti-Black discrimination in the federal public service.

Since 2021, the government has promised a National Black Mental Health Program. Since 2023, it committed to amending the Employment Equity Act. Yet, Black workers continue to wait—while harm continues.

We are calling for immediate action to:

Implement long-overdue amendments to the Employment Equity Act, including the formal recognition of Black workers as a designated group.

Finalize and launch the National Black Mental Health Program to respond to the trauma caused by systemic discrimination.

Establish an independent Black Equity Commissioner to ensure accountability across all departments and agencies.

Settle the Black Class Action—providing long-overdue compensation and structural reforms for the thousands of Black workers who have suffered exclusion, retaliation, and systemic denial.

This cannot wait any longer. Justice delayed is justice denied.