Thank you.
I want to begin by noting how, when senior management and the deputies come before this committee, and before all committees, it feels a little like being in the hot seat. I want to preface my comments by saying that I'm going to go hard on an issue, but I'm certainly not going hard on a person. I want to be very clear about that. In no way is this going to be a personal line of questioning, because when we talk about these conversations, they're often very difficult for people to explore and I want to be able to unpack it in a thoughtful way.
Ms. Sherman, in your opening remarks you made specific references to anti-racism, diversity and inclusion. Some of these comments have not sat well with me; I'll be very clear. Specifically, you noted, “Communities and networks of diverse public servants have been working to advance equity and inclusion in our organizations.” Yet nowhere in this statement have you acknowledged the fact that there are over 500 Black employees engaging in an unprecedented class action lawsuit, based on the culture—not just now but for the last 50 years—which includes the wrongful failure to promote, the intentional infliction of mental suffering, constructive dismissal, wrongful termination, negligence and, in particular, violations of employment law, human rights law and charter breaches as put forward in their claim.
In your opening remarks, you state that efforts are ongoing but there's still not enough progress. I would agree with that, but when you make the assertion that on January 22 the clerk released “Call to Action on Anti-racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service”, I'm wondering why we weren't candid about the fact that this is likely in response to the class action lawsuit.
Can we start there? Again, this is about a difficult conversation around anti-Black racism. That's tough to have. It's not personal. It's not about you. It's about the public service and the way this is being presented.