Each year on March 21, we mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the anniversary of the day in 1960 when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at an anti-apartheid rally.

Five years later, the United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD); 2025 marks the 60^th anniversary of that groundbreaking document.

In 60 years, significant progress has been made around the world in eliminating racist laws and advancing human rights. Yet, these hard-won human rights protections are now being threatened and eroded. Now is a crucial time to stand up against all forms of racism and discrimination.

Pledge to vote for equity!

An assault on human rights

In the U.S., human rights and equity laws and policies are being viciously attacked. Since he took office in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has eliminated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and is pressuring other governments and organization to follow suit.

This shift we are seeing is not just a change to a few policies, but a major threat to the system of human rights that has developed over the last 60 years. One prominent American journalist recently wrote that what Trump and his followers are aiming for is a "Great Resegregation" that " would repeal the gains of the civil-rights era in their entirety."

It can happen in Canada too

While Canada has made significant strides in addressing systemic racism and inequality, we are not immune to the growing attacks on equity and human rights. The same forces fueling the dismantling of protections in the U.S. are gaining traction here, pushing dangerous rhetoric and policies that threaten the progress we’ve made. We must be proactive and vigilant because what happens in the U.S. affects Canada.

As we have seen with attacks on trans and 2SLGBTQIA+ rights at the provincial level, some Canadian politicians have already begun to remove legal protections for human rights.

Unions continue to fight racism

Unions in Canada, including PSAC and CEIU, have fought for social justice, inclusion, and equity for decades, and have successfully pushed for employment equity and anti-racism initiatives in our workplaces. Our union has supported the class action lawsuit against the federal government by Black public service workers and we continue to push the federal government to address systemic racism in the workplace.

We still have much to do to address racism and oppression within our unions. At our last CEIU convention in 2023, delegates voted for our union to undertake an equity audit, create an anti-racism plan, develop a Black Recognition statement for all CEIU events, increase human rights training, and implement other equity-related initiatives.

As we face the future, we not only have to continue this work to address racism and inequity, but we must increase our efforts to hold off these growing attacks on what we have already gained.

Vote for equity

Our voices matter and so does our vote. Engaging in the democratic process is one of the ways we can influence the policies that shape our working lives and our communities. This year, and in years to come, you can make a difference by pledging to vote for equity and human rights.

Learn more and sign the pledge to vote for equity!

Learn more about your right to be politically active as a union member.