Managing Diversity Declarations, StatutesPolicies and StrategiesPrograms Of International, National,

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Managing Diversity Declarations,
Statutes/Policies and Strategies/ProgramsOf
International, National, Provincial, Territorial
Jurisdictions

• Joseph Garcea Neil Hibbert
• Department of Political Studies
• University of Saskatchewan
• Presentation to Metropolis Anti-Racism Forum
• 29 September 2009
• Ottawa

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Presentation Outline

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Key Conceptual Issues
• Policy Frameworks and Policy Webs
• Policy Documents Overview
• Anti-Racism Policy Documents
• Human Rights Policy Documents
• Employment Equity Policy Documents
• Multiculturalism and Interculturalism Policy
  Documents
• 3. Policy System Overview
• Policy Focus/Targets and Goals
• Multi-Level Governance
• Policy Supplementation
• Policy Comprehensiveness and Coherence
• 4. Concluding Remarks
• Way(s) Forward and Next Steps

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Introduction

• Purpose of Presentation
• The principal purpose of this presentation is
  twofold.
• Overview of Anti-Racism Policy Documents
• The first if to provide an overview of the
  policy documents in Canada at the national
  provincial and territorial level that impinge on
  anti-racism.
• This includes policy documents labelled
  anti-racism as well as those labelled human
  rights, employment equity, multiculturalism and
  interculturalism that deal directly or indirectly
  with some facet of anti-racism.
• In addition to statutes and policies some
  attention is devoted policy initiatives commonly
  referred to as anti-racism programs, action plans
  and strategies.
• Overview of Anti-Racism Policy Documents
• The second objective is to provide an overview
  some important aspects of the anti-racism policy
  system. This includes the system at the
  international, national, provincial and
  territorial level.
• .

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Anti-Racism and Policy Frameworks Policy
Webs

• The multiplicity of anti-racism policies create
  anti-racism policy frameworks which, in turn,
  create what might be termed anti-racism policy
  webs in each jurisdiction
• These policy frameworks and policy webs have
  some interesting characteristics
• (a) they are not the same in scope for every
  jurisdiction
• (b) they are not the same in scope for every
  sector (public vs. private) within
  each jurisdiction
• (c) they are not the same for every ministry
  (more attention
• devoted to anti-racism equity by
  ministry of education
• and justice than some other ministries.
• In short, the scope or span and the thickness
  and strength of these policy frameworks or
  policy webs tend to be quite variable.

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Anti-Racism Policy Documents(Observations)

• PERVASIVENESS OF ANTI-RACISM POLICY DOCUMENTS
• Every order of government has a statute, policy,
  program, strategy, or action plan related to
  anti-racism.
• NATURE OF ANTI-RACISM POLICY DOCUMENTS
• However, in many cases the statute, policy,
  program , strategy, or action plan that embodies
  provisions and principles related to anti-racism
  some do not have anti-racism in the title.
• Thus, the anti-racism policy framework
  consists of
• The parts of the Constitution that deals with
  various rights (i.e., equality rights
  multiculturalism clauses),
• the various national and provincial human rights
  acts
• the various policy statements (e.g., Quebec)
• the various anti-racism action plans, strategies
  or programs that are articulated in writing
• (e.g., Canada, Alberta, B.C.)

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Human Rights Policy Documents(Observations)

• Federal, provincial and territorial governments
  all have a policy document titled Human Rights
  act/code.
• These policy documents constitute very
  significant policy tools in the anti-racism
  project.
• They were the initial policy tools aimed at
  combatting discrimination and racism.
• Generally, they are quite similar and have the
  following components
• They prohibit racism and other forms of
  discrimination
• They contain permissive provisions related to
  employment equity or affirmative action
• They provide human rights commissions with a role
  in guidance and support as well as enforcement
  powers

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Employment Equity Policy Documents(Observations)

• Several jurisdictions have separate Employment
  Equity policies or affirmative action policies
  (e.g. Canada, B.C., Quebec, N.B., PEI, Yukon, NWT
  and Nunavut).
• Most jurisdictions have employment equity
  provisions and principles embodied in Human
  Rights Acts and other statutes/
• In some cases the Employment Equity policies
  apply only to the public sector (e.g., Canada,
  B.C., Manitoba, Quebec, N.B., NWT, Nuvavut). In
  the case of the Canadian Human Rights Act, it
  also applies to industries regulated by the
  federal government.
• Nunavuts Priority Hiring Policy and Inuit
  Hiring Policy are interesting in that they are
  essentially employment equity or even affirmative
  action programs for men and women who are members
  of the majority ethno-cultural groups who are
  deemed under-represented in the workforce.

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Multiculturalism Interculturalism Policy
Documents(Observations)

• Eleven of the fourteen jurisdictions have a
  policy related to multi-or inter-culturalism.
• The jurisdictions without a multiculturalism or
  interculturalism policy per se are the three
  northern territories .
• The three territories are interesting in that
  they have what are tantamount to
  Indigenous/Aboriginal cultural preservation and
  celebration policies.
• Alberta is interesting in that it has a
  hybridized policy that includes (a) Human
  Rights Act, (b) Citizenship Act, and (c ) a
  Multiculturalism Act
• The precise focus and scope of the policy
  documents tend to vary considerably.
• However, most tend to be aspirational policy
  documents or good gospel policy documents
  designed to serve more of a symbolic function
  and a consciousness raising function, rather
  than a substantive and substantial programming
  function.
• They tend to exist as reminders of the commitment
  to diversity and diversity management , rather
  than as tools or instruments of policy action as
  are the Human Rights act.

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Policy System Overview(1. Policy Focus/Targets
and Goals )

• The principal focus or targets and goals of the
  policy documents can be grouped into three
  general policy frameworks
• Anti-Discrimination Framework
• The focus of this policy framework is to deal
  with racist actions
• (e.g., human rights and anti-hate laws)
• 2. Anti-Racism Framework
• The focus of this policy framework is on
  precluding, reducing or eliminating racist
  existing attitudes (educational initiatives)
• (e.g., anti-racism public education initiatives,
  and school based education initiatives )
• 3. Systemic Racism Framework
• The focus of this policy framework is precluding
  or reducing/eliminating structural systemic
  racism.
• (e.g., finding ways to eliminate or reduce
  income, quality of life and well-being gaps
  between the general population and visible
  minorities)

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Policy System Overview(2. Multi-Level Governance)

• Anti-racism is (and must be) a multi-level
  governance project.
• It involves all systems of governance and all
  orders of government from the global to the local
  level.
• The table demonstrates the linkage from the
  global to the national, provincial and
  territorial level.
• At the global level are the U.N. Declarations and
  Conventions
• At the national level are the Charter of Rights
  and Freedoms and some other statutes
• At the provincial and territorial level are the
  various statutes, policies, action plans, and
  programs.
• At the municipal level include various
  anti-racism policies and initiatives demonstrates
  the linkage to the local level.

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Policy System Overview(3. Policy Supplementation)

• The phenomenon of policy supplementation is quite
  evident in the system.
• How Does Supplementation Occur?
• Policy supplementation occurs in two ways
• Supplementation between the various levels of
  governance or orders of government (i.e., global,
  national, provincial and territorial) within the
  multi-level governance system and
• Supplementation within each order of government
  which tends to involve adding components to their
  existing policy frameworks.
• Why does Supplementation Occur?
• Supplementation at the statutory, policy, and
  program level occurs because there is a
  recognition that something is missing either in
  light of
• 1. What the U.N. declarations or conventions or
  the Canadian constitution require
• 2. What is perceived as a need to do more in
  order to improve the anti-racism policy
  framework.
• In both cases the goal is to produce more
  comprehensive, coherent and effective policy
  frameworks and policy webs.

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Policy System Overview(4. Policy
Comprehensiveness and Coherence)

• Collectively the policy documents indicate an
  continuing effort to achieve a higher degree of
  policy comprehensiveness (through policy
  supplementation) and a higher degree of policy
  coherence.
• QUESTION
• Have we achieved the requisite degree of policy
  comprehensiveness or policy coherence in
  either of the following?
• (a) In each jurisdiction within the multi-level
  governance system , or
• (b) Throughout the entire multi-level governance
  system (i.e., global, national, provincial,
  territorial, local)
• Emerging and fledgling efforts at producing
  anti-racism action plans, strategies or
  programs is a function of the desire to achieve
  a higher degree of policy comprehensiveness and
  policy coherence.
• This is a project of recent vintage that has paid
  some dividends in a few of the jurisdictions that
  have produced such action plans, strategies
  or programs.
• It is necessary to examine those plans ,
  strategies and programs .
• We have to see how they are designed, what they
  are accomplishing, and figure out whether to (a)
  replicate them in all jurisdictions or (b)
  continue to work on improving even those recent
  innovative policy products.

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Concluding Points(Way(s) Forward and Next Steps)

• 1. Progress to Date
• Governments have done relatively well in
  producing policy frameworks and policy webs, but
  they can do better.
• 2. Progress in the Future
• Future progress will require three thing, all of
  which are already underway
• (a) Joint and Coordinated Multi-Level Governance
  Action
• Must involved the national, provincial,
  territorial and local governments
• (b) Policy Reviews
• Must review scope of anti-racism policy
  frameworks and policy webs both from
• (a) a closed system perspective for each
  jurisdiction
• (b) open system and multi-level governance
  perspective for all jurisdictions.
• (c) Policy Reforms
• Must reform the anti-racism policy frameworks
  and policy webs using sophisticated lens and
  paradigms that are able to take into account the
  complexities of the multi-level governance
  systems and the complexities of the policy
  systems and sub-systems therein.
• This requires a shift from
• (a) isolated action with relatively uncoordinated
  marginal adjustments to policies, to
• (b) coordinated action with relatively
  coordinated and comprehensive and coherent
  adjustments to policy.
• Marginal adjustments can lead to the requisite
  comprehensive adjustments provided that they are
  coherent and logically sequenced.
• QUESTION
• Are comprehensive and coherent anti-racism
  action plans , strategies and programs
  produced for both of the following purposes the
  way to go?
• (a) Produce comprehensive and coordinated
  plan(s) for ach order of government