Question Period Note: Racism at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Recent complaints by former employees of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights that they experienced racism while working at the Museum have received widespread media coverage. The Museum’s Chief Executive Officer has acknowledged its employees’ concerns, and the Museum will hire an external organization to complete a comprehensive audit of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights workplace practices.

• Diversity is Canada’s strength and a cornerstone of our national identity.
• The Museum for Human Rights has acknowledged the concerns of its employees. It is consulting with staff and volunteers to understand their experiences of working at the Museum in order to address their concerns.
• The Museum will develop an action plan to ensure that it supports a safe, diverse, and inclusive workforce that is respectful of all its employees.

• Former employees of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights have posted complaints on social media that they experienced racism while working at the museum.
• The complaints have been posted using the hashtag #cmhrstoplying, which was started by Thiané Diop, a former employee at the museum. Some complainants say they raised the issue with museum administration but that nothing was done.
• In a public statement issued on June 9, 2020, museum President and CEO John Young acknowledged its employees’ concerns, and stated that the museum needs to improve.
• "I acknowledge it is not enough for the museum to make statements opposing racism. We must identify shortcomings and blind spots, both within ourselves as individuals and within the museum, and take concrete steps to improve," Young said in the statement.
• CBC/Radio-Canada has reported that, in an interview on June 10, 2020, Mr. Young stated that, while it is clear that there are shortcomings here in the institution, the level of concern raised on social media comes as a surprise to many people working at the museum. He did, however, admit that he had heard of “a few” of the complaints in the past.
• In October, 2019, a report in the journal Museum Management and Curatorship, noted that of the 26 managerial and executive positions listed on the CMHR website, just one was occupied by a person belonging to a visible minority.
• The museum’s administration plans to reach out to staff and volunteers who identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of colour to listen to their experiences and concerns.
• The Museum has indicated that it intends to take the following actions to help address this issue:
• hire an external person to review and listen to the personal experiences of any current and former staff member;
• hire an external organization to complete a comprehensive audit of the CMHR’s workplace practices and policies around diversity, respect, anti-racism and non-discrimination;
• develop a comprehensive action plan using the results of the above actions; and
• be transparent throughout.

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