Ignorance blocks job hopes

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Ignorance remains the biggest obstacle for Natives, the disabled and visible minorities who are trying to get ahead in the work force, says the head of Canadian Human Rights

Commission.

"The biggest obstacle is lack of awareness of the nature of the problem, simply the realistic appreciation that there is a problem," said Chief Commissioner Max Yalden.

"If you recognize you have a problem and determine you're going to do something about it, you're better than halfway there," he said.

The commission is stepping up efforts to help Natives, visible minorities and the disabled have a better shot at finding a job. It's hoping to knock down some the barriers that keep

qualified people from these groups from getting work.

"They're not represented as they should be, including at the CBC," said Yalden.

It will take time to make substantial progress, he said.

"It's a long and difficult process but it's one I think Canadians are perfectly capable of carrying out.

"It's extremely tough since society at large over the years have tended to ignore groups like those we're talking about. It's built into our way of operating. And to change that is not

something you can do overnight or in a decade," he said.

Nor will it happen "by forcing people through the courts," Yalden said.

"You're going to do it by getting the top management of these institutions to take that kind of thing as seriously as the other elements of their operational requirements."

The commission filed discrimination complaints last month against CBC and Bell Canada after failing to get them to agree to joint reviews of their employment practices.

Statistics reported by CBC and Bell under the Employment Equity Act show women, visible minorities and Natives may not have enjoyed equal opportunities for advancement and

promotion.

Yalden said the commission would prefer to reach agreements rather than having to take legal action.

He said it's a myth the commission wants employers to hire unqualified people.

"Nobody will ever be asked to hire anyone, who can't do the job," Yalden maintains.