National Employment Equity Council, Amnesty International push for modernized Employment Equity Act
Alongside Alberta’s leaders and labour and community representatives, the National Employment Equity Council (NEC) and Amnesty International Canada recently urged the provincial government to remove certain proposed restrictions in Bill 33, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 (No. 2).
According to the groups’ press release, Bill 33 will specifically limit:
- the use of employment equity measures when hiring and promoting employees within public institutions, unless one has received an exemption
- mandatory workplace training on bias and inclusion, except for training reasonably necessary for employees to perform their duties
The NEC encouraged the Alberta government to maintain the ability of institutions to dismantle discriminatory employment barriers.
Recommendation for the federal government
The NEC and Amnesty International then called on the Canadian government to table legislation to modernize the Employment Equity Act, 1995, and implement the 187 recommendations of the 2023 Employment Equity Act Review Task Force.
According to the groups, taking such steps will help prevent Alberta from setting an example for Canada’s other jurisdictions.
The NEC emphasized:
- the serious Charter equality concerns arising from Bill 33’s proposed restrictions
- the role of employment equity in addressing the recruitment, hiring, and promotion barriers encountered by Indigenous peoples, Black people, other racialized communities, women, and persons with disabilities
Press conference
According to the NEC and Amnesty International’s press release, the following individuals voiced their opinions about Bill 33 at a press conference at the National Press Theatre:
- Heather McPherson, member of Parliament for Edmonton Strathcona
- Kristopher Wells, senator for Alberta
- Nicholas Marcus Thompson, the NEC’s co-chair
- David Matsinhe, director of policy, advocacy, and research at Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section
- Anne-Marie Pham, co-chair of the National Council of Asian Canadians
- Charles Smith, project lead at the Canadian Network for Equity & Racial Justice
“Outlawing EDI initiatives doesn’t make things equal, it takes Alberta back to the 1950s,” McPherson said. “This legislation is taking us back to a time when women, visible minorities, Indigenous people, and people living with disabilities were openly discriminated against.”
“Efforts to improve equitable hiring practices have led to higher incomes, stronger communities, and better socioeconomic outcomes for all,” Wells said. “When we undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, we risk leaving the most vulnerable members of our communities behind.”
“Employment equity exists because people have been denied opportunities because of their race, gender or disability, regardless of their qualifications,” Thompson said. “Its purpose is to remove those barriers so that a person’s abilities can be fairly assessed.”
“Canada has a clear, binding obligation under international human rights law to eliminate systemic discrimination and uphold equality for all persons without distinction,” Matsinhe added. “The false choice between merit and equity assumes everyone started from the same place, and it fails to consider systemic and structural discrimination rooted in historic injustices.”
More Amnesty International Canada news
In September 2025, Amnesty International Canada and Human Rights Watch called the end of immigration detention in provincial correctional facilities across the country a significant human rights victory for affirming the dignity and rights of migrants and refugees coming to Canada.
Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, issued an August 2025 statement expressing concern regarding the US government’s imposition of sanctions on four senior International Criminal Court officials.
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