March 21, 2023 – OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) met with executive members of the Jewish Public Servants’ Network (JPSN) and discussed the need for union support in building greater cultural sensitivity when it comes to Jewish traditions, and in raising awareness about persistent antisemitic behaviour in the federal workplace.
JPSN expressed concerns that education and awareness of antisemitism have not been prioritized in the government’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. JPSN shared accounts from members of their community who had reported incidents of casual discrimination at work, including casual antisemitic jokes or remarks, or the expression of hurtful tropes about Jews, causing acute stress and anxiety for Jewish employees.
Lack of cultural awareness was also cited as an issue that prevents Jewish federal employees’ from engaging in union life. For example, JPSN spoke about the importance of holy days and the Sabbath and how union activities are not always organized and scheduled in ways that take into account those cultural obligations or responsibilities. It was noted that this also occasionally creates barriers in the workplace.
JPSN drove home the point that unions – and CAPE in particular – can play a positive role in creating a more inclusive experience for Jewish employees and CAPE members, both in the workplace and within the union community.
JPSN was founded in late 2021 for Jewish federal employees to have a safe space to share experiences of antisemitism and change workplace culture.
To recognize Jewish Heritage Month in May, CAPE will interview members of the JPSN to better understand the work the network does on behalf of Jewish federal employees, and what CAPE and other federal sector unions can do to better support them.
Outreach to equity-deserving groups
The meeting with the JPSN is part of a broader effort by CAPE to better understand the unique challenges faced by various equity-deserving groups in the federal public sector.
To fulfill that commitment, CAPE is reaching out to networks representing equity-deserving groups to discuss the specific barriers they have met.
Through these meetings, CAPE aims to:
- Learn more about members’ unique challenges in the federal workplace when it comes to matters of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as discrimination and harassment.
- Explore ways to collaborate to spark members’ interest in union life, to improve representation at the local and national levels within these communities.
- Explore areas of collaboration for advocacy within the federal government.
CAPE has and will continue to meet with other employee networks, including the Indigenous Federal Employees Network, the Network of Asian Federal Employees, the Muslim Federal Employees Network, the Federal Black Employee Caucus, the Network for Neurodivergent Public Servants, and the Public Service Pride Network, to learn about the challenges these communities also face within the public sector.
If you belong to another federal network representing a group of equity-deserving employees not listed above, please reach out to CAPE so that we can arrange a discussion with members of their executive team.
You may contact us at general@acep-cape.ca.
Meeting attendees:
Jacqueline Luffman JPSN executive
Deborah Sussman JPSN executive
Naomi Hirshberg JPSN executive
Greg Phillips President, CAPE
Dina Epale Senior Advocacy and Public Affairs Advisor, CAPE
