Underrepresentation of Black executives in the federal public service has prompted the Treasury Board to hire language tutors to help Black employees learn French, Blacklock’s Reporter reports.
According to the Treasury Board, only around 168 of the 7,200 core public service executives are Black, which spokesperson Martin Potvin says is a grave underrepresentation.
“Language training has been identified as a barrier for Black employees’ advancement,” he said. “This shows the Black executive community was under-represented and language training is among the requirements to access the management level.”
Government costs for the tutors weren’t disclosed, which come at no cost to Black employees, and records also didn’t indicate pass rates for Black applicants who took French proficiency tests.
“Many Black public servants have expressed that bilingualism remains a barrier to career advancement with inconsistent access to language training contributing to inequitable career development opportunities,” read a notice from the Chief Human Resources Officer.