Consultation on the Employment Equity Act Modernization

In December 2023, we released the report of the Employment Equity Act Review Task Force. We made this announcement with Professor Adelle Blackett, Chair of the Task Force.

We also announced our initial commitments to modernize the Employment Equity Act (EEA). These include:

• creating 2 new designated groups under the EEA: Black people and 2SLGBTQI+ people
• replacing the term "Aboriginal Peoples" with "Indigenous Peoples," and updating the definition to:
  • include First Nations, Métis and Inuit, and
  • ensure it is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
• replacing the term "members of visible minorities" with "racialized people" and updating the corresponding definition, and
• aligning the definition of "persons with disabilities" with the Accessible Canada Act to make it more inclusive

Following this, we consulted on the best way to put in place these changes and other recommendations.

Who was the focus of this consultation

The Government of Canada engaged with Indigenous partners and stakeholders subject to the EEA, such as:

• equity groups
• those under the federal jurisdiction, that is:
  • groups, associations and unions representing employees
  • private-sector employers and employers' groups and associations, and
  • public-sector employers and partners, such as:
    • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
    • Public Service Commission
    • Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
    • Justice Canada
    • Women and Gender Equality Canada, and
    • Statistics Canada

We also welcomed feedback from other interested parties.

Consult the Workplace Equity Program to learn more about the EEA and to whom it applies.

Key areas for discussion

We sought input on the current state of the EEA and ways to improve it. Topics included:

• purpose of the EEA
• designated groups (for example, definitions, terminology)
• collection of survey data
• support provided to employees and employers
• accountability, compliance and enforcement
• public reporting

Next steps

We will use the feedback received during the consultation to inform changes to the EEA. We will also summarize the feedback into a report and publish it online.

Related links

• News releases
  • Release of the EEA Review Task Force report
  • Launch of the EEA Review Task Force
• Equi'Vision: An Employment Equity Tool
• Employment equity in the federally regulated private sector
• Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada
• Employment Equity Regulations
• Employment Equity Act Review Task Force

Contact us

Employment and Social Development Canada
Labour Program
140 Promenade du Portage, Phase IV, Mailstop # 911
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0J9
Email: edsc.lee-eea.esdc@labour-travail.gc.ca