A member’s view of the PSAC’s National Conference for Racially Visible Members

Every conference has an official report that records the important details of the event, and in the weeks ahead the PSAC will provide one for our members. As a racially visible member who attended, I want to add a member’s-eye view of this important conference.

My name is Mandi Schubert and I work for Service Canada in Victoria, BC. I have been active in my union for a number of years and am currently the president of my local. Over the years, my involvement with the union has been a mix of difficult challenges, major satisfactions, frustrations and some fun. That’s pretty much what I find in all the activities I get involved in, so in this way, the union is no different.

As a racially visible member, I was very pleased that the PSAC held this conference. It recognized the issues we deal with as racialized workers and gave a sense of the progress that we are making (I know more is needed, but it is important to acknowledge that we can, and are, making things better).

The conference looked at wide issues, such as reasonable accommodation, racial profiling and security and cutbacks to government programs that affect our clients and ourselves.

The reasonable accommodation of minorities has become a hot topic, especially since 9/11. Security concerns have swayed how some of us see minorities and the accommodations we should (or should not) make to have them feel more welcome in this country. As I see it, security concerns are a reality, but thoughtless action taken in the name of security just make things worse. People who are trying to fit into Canadian society will only become suspicious and distrustful if mistreated in the name of security. And that is something we do not want to happen.

Within the public service, 8.6% of staff are racialized, but the Canadian population is around 12% racialized. By 2017, 20% of the population will be racialized, a figure that really had a strong impression on me. What it means is that we have a lot of work to do to make the public service reflect the wider Canadian society.

To make the changes we need, the conference also looked at what “activism” meant. For too long, many have seen activism as lobbying Members of Parliament. I think speaking to MP’s can be important, but really we need to engage people closer to home, in our communities. Racism can be a real hot-button issue, but it is also is something that most people want to deal with in a way that is fair and makes sense. Making sense of racism to other people is easier if you can meet them face-to-face, and that means meeting them in our communities. That is where I think we can begin to make real progress on this issue.

I was very pleased that the PSAC held the National Conference for Racially Visible Members and I was proud to attend. Conferences such as this make me feel even more comfortable in my union as a racialized member and activist. Keeping the spirit and energy of the conference alive is the responsibilityof everyone who attended and I am committed to doing my part.