Leaked federal training says equal treatment can be discriminatory
Mandatory ESDC course instructs public servants to apply “Black-Centric Lens”; experts question evidence behind claims
Employment and Social Development Canada require public servants to apply a “Black-Centric Lens” across all their work, according to mandatory training leaked to Juno News.
The self-paced course tells employees that “formal equality” — treating people the same — can itself be discriminatory. True fairness, it says, means “substantive equality” or equal outcomes produced by privileging people based on their race.
Melanie Bennet@MelanieBennet_
1/ Leaked federal training shows ESDC instructing public servants to apply a “Black-Centric Lens” across all policies, hiring, and services.
The course links modern disparities in income, education, housing, and employment to Canada’s history of slavery and colonialism, stating
11:38 PM · Apr 25, 2026 · 19 Views
1 Reply
The training links today’s gaps in employment, education, housing and income directly to Canada’s history of slavery and colonialism. It asserts that systemic anti-Black racism and unconscious bias continue to block Black Canadians from equal opportunity.
