Meeting Minutes
PIPSC HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE (HRDC)
Date: Mar 2, 2024 10:00 AM EST
Place: 250 Tremblay Road
Meeting time: 9:00 AM—3:30 PM ET
Meeting minutes taken by: Coralie Leduc
Present: |
Regret: |
Stacy McLaren - Board Liaison - Chair Virtual: |
Coralie Leduc - Administrative Assistant |
Guests: |
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No guests. |
1. Words of Welcome and Adoption of the Agenda |
The anticipated location for some of the meeting dates are modified. |
2. Criteria for sending (HRDC) members to conventions |
Members and friends are welcome to inform the committee about conventions relating to human rights and diversity they would like to attend or sponsor. When sending delegates to these conventions, eligibility and selection criteria should be consistent and transparent. This could ensure fairness and trust in the selection process and avoid accusations of favouritism or bias. Potential criteria are as follows, in no particular order:
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3. Discussion of recent human rights issues |
Stacy opens the floor for discussion on any human rights and diversity issue. The topic of PIPSC’s response to Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip is touched on. Committee members want to know whether the Institute will issue another statement. Some committee members express frustration regarding the delays in putting out time-sensitive statements relating to human rights and PIPSC’s reluctance to take a firm stance. Whenever the committee is aware that an email containing sensitive matters will be sent out or an important statement posted, preparing a standard response in advance would be helpful. Ideally, stewards can receive training or an issue guide to make PIPSC’s response consistent and adequately support those who need it. Stacy will approach Pete Jozsa to discuss the matter. Perhaps workshops or webinars on human rights and diversity should also target stewards. The process of publishing statements relating to human rights risks being overly bureaucratic, making it difficult for the union to be proactive and engage its membership. To expedite the process, the committee suggests having statements approved by the Board secretarially when necessary. |
4. Equity caucus reports and training |
Women’s Caucus Caucus chair Farzana Merani offers an overview of the caucus’ activities over the past year. The women’s caucus had four virtual meetings in total, where ground rules and boundaries were determined to build trust between attendees. The objective is to empower women to use their voices in the workplace and their personal lives. Future meeting dates are being determined. A webinar for International Women’s Day on March 8th is underway. Workers of Colour Caucus Caucus chair, Madeeha Choudhry, shares what the caucus has done so far and their upcoming plans. Some issues the Caucus has identified are:
Chairs of the following caucuses are absent therefore, they are without report:
+++ Malcolm goes through the caucus toolkit, a document created to help caucus chairs with their operations. RJ inquires whether the current programs relating to language training include official languages for persons with disabilities, such as ASL and LSQ. Ideally, efforts for inclusivity would include these options in the language training programs our members use. Considerations for members with dyslexia or other speech disorders could also allow for greater accessibility to specialized training programs or exemptions for upper-level position requirements. RJ is welcome to collaborate with the Persons with Disabilities Caucus to further these ideals and reach out to the education team to bring these ideas to their attention. |
5. Equity caucus recruitment call |
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6. New Virtual Discussion Platform |
Item postponed. |
7. Roundtable and Closing Remarks |
Ongoing members of the committee look forward to continuing the HRDC’s work with the new committee members. The varied opinions on issues are welcome and allow members and friends to learn from each other. As PIPSC members, the insight provided by the committee members and friends is helpful for staff and board members to hear how things are going in members’ workplaces. Regarding upcoming events: Determine whether PIPSC will organize something for national accessibility week. |
8. Meeting adjourned.