Ryley Learning

04/14/2026

"IBM will pay more than $17 million to settle U.S. Department of Justice allegations that the company’s DEI programs violated the False Claims Act and did not comply with anti-discrimination requirements for federal contractors..."
😲 Perhaps ironically the False Claims Act (or "Lincoln Law") was passed during the American Civil War to combat widespread fraud by contractors supplying the Union Army (faulty weapons, rations, and sick animals 🐎🐴)

An assistant U.S. attorney general said the settlement demonstrated the Justice Department’s commitment to ending “woke unconstitutional practices.”

03/24/2026

"[Newly] declassified RCMP Security Service files confirm Canada's Cold War-era domestic intelligence agency infiltrated and sought to disrupt legitimate political Indigenous organizations in the 1970s, in an extensive program of covert surveillance, informants and countersubversion...
CBC Indigenous obtained nearly 6,000 pages of RCMP Security Service documents through access to information requests. They include intelligence dossiers compiled between the late 1960s and early 1980s...

A CBC Indigenous investigation has found the program evolved into a widespread and intrusive countrywide surveillance operation targeting far more than suspected radicals. Hundreds of Indigenous people and at least 30 legitimate political organizations were monitored...
The files comprise hundreds of surveillance reports contained in more than two dozen manila file folders marked "racial intelligence." They name 150 RCMP members and confirm methods like paying informants, physical surveillance, filming, photographing, monitoring and meeting with media, liaising with Indian Affairs and the FBI, and checking sensitive government and privately held records."

A CBC Indigenous investigation has found the Cold War-era RCMP Security Service had a widespread and intrusive surveillance operation targeting at least 30 legitimate Indigenous political organizations and hundreds of Indigenous people.

03/24/2026

1️⃣ The US "reverse discrimination" claims are real. "Racial affinity" groups alleged to be discriminatory against white employees. (In Canada these are often called "ERG"s or Employee Resource Groups)

2️⃣ The groups were (pre-Trump #2 admin) part of Planned Parenthood's attempt to distance itself from the history of eugenicists in the early leadership.

3️⃣ Note that in Canada, section 15(2) of the Charter, and provincial and federal human rights legislation have provisions that make claims of "reverse discrimination" much more difficult to make.

🤔"The settlement with Planned Parenthood reflects a broader shift at the EEOC and signals how the agency will pursue reverse discrimination claims going forward. Under the Trump administration, the agency has set its sights on rooting out discrimination against white workers by focusing on what Lucas has characterized as “unlawful” DEI programs."
https://hubs.ly/Q0480Hg70

The case reflects a broader shift in the EEOC’s attitude toward DEI—and a sign of how it plans to aggressively pursue reverse discrimination claims.

03/03/2026

"Fifty-one per cent of harassment complaints in the federal government target managers or supervisors. This figure is only 31 per cent in federally regulated private companies such as those in the transportation or financial services sector."

1️⃣ 13% increase between 2023 and 2024; double the number of sexual (versus other forms) of harassment

2️⃣ Call for better training than the course used "WMT 101"(Genevieve Desmarais) which is inadequate: "The issue of sexual harassment is buried in all the training on psychological harassment"

3️⃣ Call for disciplinary measures arising from investigations (Pascale Leroy): ""It's going to require people being very bold and very aggressive, and almost making examples of individuals, in order to make something change." https://hubs.ly/Q045mNgZ0

Harassment cases in the federal government more often involve managers or people in positions of authority than in several parts of the private sector, according to the latest figures published by the government.

02/13/2026

"Under the second Trump administration, EEOC has been explicit in targeting DEI programs that it considers unlawful...

More recently, the agency asked a federal court to enforce an administrative subpoena against Nike as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged discrimination against White employees, job applicants and training program participants." https://hubs.ly/Q042ZGV20

Most of the 20 major law firms that received letters declined to provide the requested information, and the agency said it “considers the matter of responding to those letters closed.”

01/29/2026

I agree with this - HR, legal and other people leaders shouldn't pivot to hard:

“Keep the human element,...In a polarized climate, people still need psychological safety, clear expectations, and managers who can lead diverse teams. If HR can equip managers to handle conflict, give good feedback, and run fair processes, that is inclusion work that survives headlines.”

HR can improve opportunities for all without making illegal promises or instituting policies that won’t age well when the pendulum swings back, DEI advocates said.

02/02/2025

Proudly

12/03/2024

Great to see comedian Dan Galea in action last night at a comedy storytelling event. Dan is a Ryley Learning voice actor who brings our Learning to life! Can’t wait to see our very own Martha Chaves next week same time! Mondays at 7 same place. Way to go to host and creator https://www.facebook.com/share/18KpnwCsyr/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

09/30/2024

09/30/2024

https://indspire.ca/ways-to-give/?form=FUNEGRKNHGX&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ndtr2024pmax&utm_id=paid&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmOm3BhC8ARIsAOSbapXsmqJNPkoXIlORgbn8hyD3HQlrRuaEXH1KrGaH2H-aPbfWjhu0IBsaAqAhEALw_wcB

09/22/2024

“After Hoover mentioned Gretchen Carlson and O’Reilly said, “That’s enough, I’m not going to get into this… that’s it,” ending the interview early.

He then warned her “you’re in for a problem” if she used any of the footage.”

The former Fox News anchor, who was fired in 2017 after an exposé revealed years of misconduct complaints, angrily describes Margaret Hoover's questions as "an ambush" The post Bill O’Reilly Threatens to Sue PBS Host, Storms Out When Pressed on His Sexual Harassment Settlements | Video appeared f...