Invitation to take part in Defence Team LGBTQ2+ Working Group

December 14, 2021 - Defence Stories

In May, 2021, in recognition of the thousands of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans (LGBT) federal employees, the LGBT Purge Fund released the Emerging from the Purge: The State of LGBTQI2S Inclusion in the Federal Workplace and Recommendations for Improvement (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website) report, outlining a series of actions to foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace for LGBTQ2+ communities. As part of the Department of National Defence's ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive workplace, the Minister of National Defence has issued a formal statement of its commitment to evaluate and address the report's recommendations within the department Statement by the Minister of National Defence on the LGBT Purge Fund Report.

As such, the Directorate of Workplace Programs and Services (DWPS) will be leading a working group in consultation with LGBTQ2+ employees as we move forward with our response to the Emerging from the Purge report. The intention is to review DND recommendations identified in the Emerging form the Purge Report and outline LGBTQ2+ civilian goals and actions to be taken moving forward.

The first round of working group assignments will begin from January 24 to March 31^st, 2022. Assignments will vary and should require from 2-5 hours per week. Interested candidates should have full access to MS Teams. Candidates can work remotely anywhere in Canada.

In the interest of creating a safe space, confidentiality will be a priority. Should you prefer, you may participate in the dialogues without turning on your camera and sharing your real name with other participants in the LGBTQ2+ working group

Eligibility

To participate in this working group, DWPS is seeking DND employees who:

• Are presently occupying a DND civilian employee position and have been in the position for at least one year;
• Identify as a member of LGBTQ2+ communities or are an ally; and
• Have support from their home organisation to participate in the Emerging from the Purge Report response working-group (Note: home organizations/agency will be required to cover the candidate’s salary and benefits for the duration of the working-group sessions).

Following the identification of eligible candidates, DWPS will select participants based on pre-determined factors, such as:

• regional representation
• language profile
• area of work
• intersectionality 

If you are an eligible candidate, please email us at Diversity-Diversite@forces.gc.ca with your name, preferred email address for communication, and which LGBTQ2 communities you identify as representation of different LGBTQ2 communities will be preferable. Note that there is no requirement to have self-identified through the department internal self-identification human resources system prior to applying. If possible, please send your interest before Friday, December 31^st, 2021.

You are welcome to share this with your colleagues who may be able to contribute to this collective effort to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment.

We look forward to working with you.