Senator Welcomes Employment-Equity Review

Senator Welcomes Employment-Equity Review

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 14:04

A Conservative Senator from Nova Scotia welcomes a review the federal government is doing on employment-equity policies.

The government announced last week it would undertake the review because a Caucasian woman tried to apply for a job that was restricted to Aboriginal people and visible minorities.

Senator Donald Oliver, who is black and faced barriers himself, believes the review will show mainstream people – that is, those people who are not women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people, and people with disabilities – that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

Oliver says there are systemic barriers such as people who are hiring don’t understand the contributions Aboriginal people and visible minorities have made to the country.

He says they may also be afraid of the unknown or are more comfortable hiring people who are “like” them.