Upcoming Webinar: June 12, 2025 @ 12:30 P.M. (ET) | Mental Health Considerations for Workplace Investigators | Register Today!
My colleague Liliane Gingras recently wrote a blog titled, “The dismantling of DEI programs: A lawyer’s response.” In that blog, Liliane discussed her concerns regarding the current DEI backlash. Specifically, she expressed concern that some may believe that the absence of a DEI program in the workplace may mean that legal protection from discrimination disappears, which is not the case.
If you have encountered an allegation of ageism while conducting a workplace investigation, chances are that it involved an older employee who was passed over in favour of someone younger.
A random question occurred to me the other day, “Could disciplining an employee due to their body odour be a form of discrimination?” This question occurred to me when I did a double take reading the headline of the Washington Post article, “Lawsuit says American Airlines kicked 8 Black men off plane, citing body odor.”
I was excited when I found out that Usher was performing for this year’s Super Bowl Halftime show. In my opinion, an artist who has been highly underrated, was finally given the opportunity to perform for millions of people on live TV. Usher beautifully executed promotion of his performance, as the commercials highlighted his body of work that I have known since I was young. I may not be a complete NFL fan or “buff.”
I was not shocked when I read a recent newspaper article that said, “Black student allegedly locked in a room at an elementary school.” For those reading this blog, you are probably wondering why. Simple answer: this was not the first time I heard about such a concerning story.
En décembre 2022, un arbitre du travail québécois1 a ordonné à l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) de verser 4 000 $, à titre de dommages moraux, à Gaëlle Étémé Lebogo, une étudiante au doctorat qui s’identifie comme une femme Noire, en raison du harcèlement psychologique et discriminatoire qu’elle a subi dans le cadre d’un contrat de correctrice d’examen.
In December 2022, a Québec labour arbitrator rendered a decision ordering Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) to pay $4,000 in moral damages to Gaëlle Étémé Lebogo, a teacher assistant and PhD student who identifies as a Black woman, following the psychological and discriminatory harassment she suffered in the workplace.
If you are an investigator like me, you may have noticed the term “white fragility” has emerged in some of your cases, especially when the investigation involves claims of race-based harassment and/or discrimination. This may be as part of a complainant’s allegation, as in the respondent engaged in “white fragility,” or as part of a respondent’s response, as in “this is not a case of ‘white fragility’.” The concept has sparked much debate, as not everyone agrees with it.
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