20 per cent support targeted hiring
Nearly six in 10 Canadians say a person’s race, gender or ethnic background shouldn’t give a person an advantage when looking for a government job, according to a new QMI Agency poll. The poll was taken in the days after the Conservative government said it would review affirmative action policies. Their announcement followed the case of a white Ottawa woman who was told she couldn’t apply for a position she was qualified for because she didn’t meet the diversity requirements. Only 20 per cent of those polled said they thought targeted hiring is fine as long as the successful candidate meets all job requirements. There are four “equity groups” who are occasionally considered first when applying to federal government jobs: women, visible minorities, aboriginal Canadians and those with disabilities. Both women and aboriginal Canadians are over-represented in the civil service. However, visible minorities, who make up 16 per cent of the country’s population, hold just under 10 per cent of the civil service jobs.