It’s now been one month since the most tragic events to hit my beautiful island of Haiti. All Haitians in the world are mourning. Even though I was not born or even raised there, Haiti flows in my veins and in my heart. The last month has been hard for me knowing that I was there, on vacation for the holidays, 2 weeks prior to the events and knowing that I’ve lost friends, family members and people that I will never be able to see again. However, I console myself by knowing that the last memories of them were joyful.
CBTU Statement on the Dismissal of the Black Class Action Lawsuit
It is with pain and deep dejection that the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) in Canada reviews the Federal Court's decision to dismiss the Black Class Action Lawsuit. The Black Class Action Lawsuit was founded by current and former Black employees of 99 federal government departments representing hundreds if not thousands of Black workers in Canada. These workers alleged that they were discriminated against and kept from promotions because of their race going as far back as the 1970s. They described being qualified enough to replace their non-Black colleagues in higher job functions when those colleagues were off on leave but not being qualified enough to fill the positions permanently when the positions became vacant. In Madam Justice Gagné’s decision which was rendered just over one week before the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The court acknowledged the discrimination that these Black workers were experiencing while simultaneously choosing to deny these workers the justice that the federal court should provide.
