On the eve of Black History Month, members of Montreal’s black community gathered at city hall last Friday to celebrate their many accomplishments. There were lawyers, academics, teachers, bartenders and people in show business. There was music, speeches and much pride as the community honoured 12 successful black citizens. Among the many guests was Kathleen Weil, Quebec’s minister of immigration, diversity and inclusion.
The previous two days, Weil had been in Quebec City chairing hearings on changes to the province’s immigration policy. But the narrative he heard regarding the state of the black community wasn’t particularly rosy.
Failure to master French and poor job prospects are driving many young black anglophones out of the province, while workplace discrimination is posing problems for French-speaking black immigrants who have come to Quebec to build a better life. Equal opportunity programs are needed to help reduce the unemployment rate among immigrants and visible minorities, the head of the Quebec Human Rights Commission said.
Discrimination in the workplace can be explained partly by “fear of the unknown” on the part of some businesspeople, the head of the province’s largest employer group said.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire