On September 24, 2026, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) participated in the National Employment Equity Forum as the federal public sector labour voice, represented by President Nathan Prier.
The forum, organized by the National Employment Equity Council, marked the Employment Equity Act’s 40th anniversary and examined the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force’s 187 recommendations from 2023. It brought together leaders representing more than 600,000 workers across Canada who are still waiting for action.
Prier called on the Carney government to proceed without further delays and implement the Employment Equity Act Task Force recommendations on modernization as the current statute took effect in 1996.
“I am proud to be part of a movement that has been at the forefront of the employment equity fight for decades. And that pride, and the stories behind it, reminds me why we can’t rest on our laurels. We still chase away top talent and reinforce systemic discrimination by not implementing the clear recommendations the Task Force made back in 2023.”
Workers cannot wait any longer to modernize the Act and are demanding the full implementation of the 187 recommendations, particularly:
Designating 2SLGBTQIA+ and Black workers.
Mandatory data collection and disaggregation to root out discrimination.
Stronger enforcement of the Act to remove workplace barriers.
“...let’s make sure the Act has the teeth it needs to overcome the workplace barriers we all know persist to this day.”
Members of CAPE’s equity caucuses are calling for the modernization of the Employment Equity Act.
Get involved:
- Join the Anti-Racism Caucus
- Join the Disability Justice Caucus
- Join the Anti-Racism Caucus
- Join the Indigenous Circle
- Join the Queer and Trans Workers' Equity Caucus
or create your own caucus.
Read the official report of the National Equity Forum here.
