Canada. Commission of Inquiry on Equality in Employment : The Commission of Inquiry on Equality in Employment was established under Order-in-Council, P.C. 1924, 24 June 1983, under Part I of the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., 1970, c.I-13) and on the recommendation of the Minister of Employment and Immigration. The date on which the Commissioner was to report to the Governor in Council was amended by Orders in Council P.C. 4048, 22 December 1983; P.C. 1390, 18 April 1984 and P.C. 2882, 23 August 1984. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and report upon the most efficient, effective and equitable means of promoting employment opportunities, eliminating systemic discrimination and assisting all individuals to compete for employment opportunities on an equal basis by: (a) examining the employment practices of Petro-Canada, Air Canada, Canadian National Railway Company, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Canada Post Corporation, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Export Development Corporation, Teleglobe of Canada Ltd. and the Federal Business Development Bank; and (b) inquiring into means to respond to deficiencies in employment practices, such as an enhanced voluntary program, possibly linked with mandatory reporting requirements and a mandatory affirmative action program.
The Commissioner shall give particular attention to: (i) the implications and impact of the various options available to the Government, including the socio-economic benefits and costs associated with each option; (ii) the views of the management of the corporations on those options; (iii) the view of employees and associations representing employees of those corporations referred to in paragraph (a) on those options; (iv) the views of associations representing women, native people, disabled persons and visible minorities on those options; (v) and the views of any other interested individual or group, including the management, employees, and associations representing employees of other federal Crown Corporations. The commissioner was Rosalie Silberman Abella. The secretary was Bernadette Sulgit.
On 27 June 1983, the Minister of Employment and Immigration, Lloyd Axworthy, announced the appointment of a federal commission of inquiry on equality in the work place under the direction of Judge Rosalie Abella. A press release from the Minister's Office pointed out that: "recent studies and demographic projections indicate women and other target groups will be the majority of entrants to the Canadian labour force during the 1980s." Consequently, the mandate of the commission was "to inquire into and report upon the most efficient, effective and equitable means of promoting employment opportunities, eliminating systematic discrimination and assisting all individuals to compete for employment opportunities on an equal basis" for four designated groups: women, aboriginal peoples, disabled persons and visible minorities. The government was committed to the hiring, training and promotion of these groups which had not, up to that point, participated equitably in the work force.
As directed, the commission concentrated on the employment practices of 11 designated Crown and government-owned corporations including: Petro-Canada, Air Canada, Canadian National Railway Company, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Canada Post Corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Export Development Corporation, Teleglobe Canada, DeHavilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., the Federal Business Development Bank.
At the time of the commission's appointment, the government also announced that its affirmative action program was being expanded to include all sectors of the federal public service. The decision to make affirmative action mandatory followed a pilot project which involved five government departments. Under it, employers had to set goals and timetables for the hiring, training and promotion of qualified members of disadvantaged groups. Michael Walker of the Fraser Institute observed that: "the Abella Commission looks more like the final formality before the imposition of a compulsory, affirmative action program in the federal public sector and those who deal with its boards and agencies." Beyond that, Axworthy said that the commission's proposals "may constitute a model that could be promoted in the private sector" (see Press Release, Minister of Employment and Immigration, 27 June 1983; Michael Walker, "The Abella Commission", Fraser Forum, November 1983, pp. 2-4; Report of The Commission on Equality in Employment, Ottawa, Supply and Services Canada, 1985, pp. v-viii; and Order in Council P.C. 1924, 24 June 1983).
Hearings of the commission were held in St. John's, Charlottetown, Halifax, Fredericton, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, Yellowknife and Whitehorse from 9 August 1983 to 6 March 1984. The commission received 274 submissions as well as several letters and documents. Besides the hearings, numerous consultations and meetings took place. RG33-133 General Inventory
