FEDERAL RESPONSE TO CBC'S PERSISTENT BIGOTRY AGAINST THE DISABLED

Below, you will see my reply to Canadian Heritage Minister's representative regarding my complaint against the Canadian Broadcasting Commission's utter failure to meet the least modicum of employment equity expectations. The Employment Equity Act was enacted more than 30 years ago. The CBC has not once met any equity expectations. passed  throughout more than 3 decades.

If you keep scrolling down you will find my trail of correspondence on this matter. It should be noted that the President of CBC, Hubert Lacroix, not VP of English services, Heather Conway, have not responded. I presume this reflects a corporate culture of anti-disability bigotry or contempt.


Thank you for your response Mme. Cote. For more than 30 years the the Employment Equity Act has applied to all federal corporations and contractors. The $1.4-billion the CBC receives annually in federal funding carries certain expectation, and one is a reflection of the Canadian mosaic (nearly 14% of Canadians have disabilities). The federal government is well aware of the CBC’s failure to comply with employment equity expectations in this regard. While the Corporation answers to Hubert Lacroix, M Lacroix is answerable to the government of Canada — and by extension, the taxpayers of Canada. Therefore your response is inadequate. I ask Mme Joly to revisit the substance of my complaint, and I look forward to her response.

Mark Davis Pickup

4417-51 Street

Beaumont, AB,

T4X 1C8

Mr. Mark Davis Pickup

markpickup@shaw.ca

Dear Mr. Pickup:

Thank you for your correspondence addressed to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, regarding the hiring process and employee retention goals of CBC/Radio-Canada. Minister Joly appreciates your taking the time to write on this matter.

CBC/Radio-Canada is an independent Crown corporation. Its Senior Executive Team, led by Mr. Hubert T. Lacroix, President and Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for the Corporation’s day-to-day operations, including its human resources. Accordingly, you have already taken the most appropriate course of action by sharing your views directly with Mr. Lacroix.

Please accept my best wishes.

Sincerely,

Manon Côté

Director

Ministerial Correspondence Secretariat

COPY OF EMAIL TO MINISTER OVERSEEING THE CBC

To: The Hon. Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, House of Commons, OTTAWA, ON.

CC: Hubert T Lacroix, CBC President an CEO; Heather Conway, Executive Vice-President, CBC English Services; Alex Johnston, Vice-President, Strategy and Public Affairs; Diane Girard, CBC’s Values and Ethics Commissioner; other selected parties and agencies 

_________________

Mme Joly: This email correspondence is to lodge a complaint against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for consistently failing to meet hiring and employment retention goals for employees with disabilities. This billion dollar government funded federal corporation has not only failed to targets for their own INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY PLAN (2015-2018) -- they have failed to meet disability employment goals within the Employment Equity Act and policies dating back 30 years! This must not continue.

For more information and clarification, please see my blog, MediaPerspective at http://www.mediaperspective.org/ for 3 posts about this matter, beneath a copy of this email:

1. CBC: FAILING EMPLOYMENT EQUITY FOR 30 YEARS;
2. CBC’S FARCICAL INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY PLAN (2015-2018);
3. CBC’S PERSISTENT BIGOTRY       

All of these posts were sent to senior management of the CBC. Only Diane Girard responded saying, in part: “…The allegations in your email are broad ones. If you have a specific complaint regarding the behaviour of one of our employees, please indicate the nature of your complaint you want to make and send us specific details.” The commissioner for Values and Ethics completely missed the point. I was referring to a systemic problem within the CBC and Ms Girard thought I was complaining about an individual employee?! That was an outrageous response!

The time for accountability has come. The CBC MUST incorporate real and measurable and visible disability inclusion and diversity. Ms Joly, I ask you to investigate the CBC’s decades long failure to meet disability employment targets dating back 30 years.

I am,

Respectfully yours,

Mark Davis Pickup

4417-51 Street

Beaumont, Alberta

T4X 1C8

Tel: 780.929.9230

(NB: Posts referred to see below.)