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ONTARIO CREATES NEW ANTI-RACISM DIRECTORATE The OFL and Ontario NDP applauded February’s Ontario Government decision to create a new AntiRacism Directorate to work in collaboration with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The OFL and NDP had been calling for the re-establishment of an Anti-Racism Secretariat ever since it was abolished by the Mike Harris government in the 1990s, but had recently ramped up this demand as part of this year’s Black History Month celebrations. WRONGFUL TERMINATION OF NEW MOTHER THREATENS MATERNITY LEAVE The OFL responded to a grassroots campaign to support respected labour and human rights activist, Gilary Massa, whose employer terminated her three months into her maternity leave. Massa, who is a woman of colour and a Muslim, had been working as an Executive Director of the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) since 2009. Citing “restructuring” as the cause, she was laid off without notice in December 2015, after giving birth to her first child in September and never offered a secondary position within the organization. It was a devastating blow to deliver to a dedicated staff person during one of the most precious and vulnerable moments in her life and it sent a chilling message to women and new parents everywhere that their right to have both a family and career is in jeopardy. The OFL took the unusual step of issuing a joint letter from the Executive Board, Young Workers’ Committee, Women’s Committee and Workers of Colour Committee to call on the RSU Board of Directors to immediately reinstate Massa to her rightful position and provide compensation to account for the emotional distress, financial hardship and embarrassment. The OFL also called for a emotional distress hardship and full audit of the RSU human resources and human rights protocols, with an eye to preventing future mistreatment. For decades, the labour movement has fought to attain equal opportunity for women, for people of colour, and for parents. The provision of a universally enforced and protected parental leave is one Massa has proven her unshakable resolve by fiercely fighting for her rights at the Human Rights Commission. of our movement’s greatest achievements. The idea that parents, especially women, have to make a difficult choice between providing a loving family environment or having a successful career is a throwback to an archaic mentality. In the face of these adverse circumstances, Massa has proven her unshakable resolve by fiercely fighting for her rights at the Human Rights Commission. Several affiliates responded to the OFL call for solidarity by issuing their own letters in support of Gilary Massa and a Mother’s Day rally is planned in Toronto on May 8. For information on the campaign, visit #IStandWithGilary on Facebook and Twitter. OFL ACTION REPORT “By establishing an Anti-Racism Directorate, Ontario has an opportunity to make the advancement of racial justice a prerequisite throughout the province,” said OFL President Chris Buckley. “However, this Directorate must be given appropriate resources to produce the research, expertise and guidance that can truly challenge individual, systemic and cultural racism in all its forms.” On Tuesday, February 16, the Ontario Government announced the establishment of an Anti-Racism Directorate and named the Honourable Michael Coteau as Ontario’s new Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism. The mandate of the Directorate is to increase public education and awareness of racism to create a more inclusive province, and apply an anti-racism lens in developing, implementing and evaluating government policies, programs and services. The OFL responded to the announcement by calling on the Wynne government to provide proper funding for the Anti-Racism Directorate and include Ontario’s labour movement among the Directorate’s key strategic partners. “A directorate is an important step forward for Ontario at a time when racial profiling, racially motivated ‘carding’ and police shootings of racialized people have spurred incredible public outrage and given rise to a Black Lives Matter movement that has swept North America,” said Ahmad Gaied, OFL Executive Vice-President. “Challenging racism is about much more than speaking out against prejudice and discrimination when we witness it; it is about confronting systemic racism with concrete government action to remove the barriers to equal opportunity. We hope this Directorate leads the way to change.” 17