National Employment Equity Council, Amnesty International Canada and parliamentarians urge Alberta to drop Bill 33’s equity restrictions

OTTAWA, Ontario, Nov. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Employment Equity Council (NEC) and Amnesty International Canada joined Alberta leaders, labour and community representatives today in calling on the Alberta government to withdraw provisions in Bill 33 that would prohibit employment equity measures in public institutions and restrict mandatory workplace training on bias and inclusion. The Council also called on the federal government to lead by delivering its long-promised modernization of the Employment Equity Act, so that Alberta’s rollback does not become a model for other provinces.

Speaking at the National Press Theatre were NEC Co-Chair Nicholas Marcus Thompson; Senator Kristopher Wells of Alberta; Heather McPherson, MP for Edmonton Strathcona; David Matsinhe, Amnesty International Canada; Anne-Marie Pham, Co-Chair of the National Council of Asian Canadians; and Charles Smith of the Canadian Network for Equity & Racial Justice. The Council said employment equity responds to documented barriers facing Indigenous Peoples, Black and other racialized communities, women and persons with disabilities in recruitment, hiring and promotion.

Alberta’s Anti-Racism Action Plan recognized the need to address these barriers. Released in 2022, it committed to mandatory unconscious-bias training for government staff involved in hiring, recruitment strategies to increase representation of underrepresented groups, and examining racial disparities in hiring, wages and occupational outcomes.

The province’s Human Rights Commission continues to receive complaints concerning discrimination at work. In 2024–25, employment practices accounted for 78 per cent of the areas cited in newly opened complaints. Physical disability, mental disability, gender and race/colour were the most frequently cited grounds across complaints.

Alberta introduced explicit protection by for programs addressing disadvantage in 2017. Bill 33 would prohibit covered public bodies from using those measures in hiring and promotion unless granted an exemption, and restrict mandatory equity-related training, with an exception for training reasonably necessary to perform employees’ duties.

The NEC said the restrictions raise serious Charter equality concerns and called on Alberta to preserve institutions’ ability to remove discriminatory employment barriers.

The NEC and Amnesty International Canada are calling on the Alberta government to:

• Withdraw Bill 33’s proposed restrictions on employment equity measures in hiring and promotion and mandatory equity-related workplace training.
  
  

The groups call on the federal government to:

• Table legislation to modernize the Employment Equity Act and implement the 187 recommendations of the 2023 Employment Equity Act Review Task Force.
  
  

Quotes:

“Employment equity exists because people have been denied opportunities because of their race, gender or disability, regardless of their qualifications. “Its purpose is to remove those barriers so that a person’s abilities can be fairly assessed. Qualified workers should not have to overcome discrimination to earn a living or advance in their careers.” Nicholas Marcus Thompson, Co-Chair of the NEC

“Efforts to improve equitable hiring practices have led to higher incomes, stronger communities, and better socioeconomic outcomes for all. When we undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, we risk leaving the most vulnerable members of our communities behind. This weakens our unity, limits our collective potential, and undermines our ability to build a stronger, more prosperous Alberta.” Kristopher Wells, Senator for Alberta

“Outlawing EDI initiatives doesn’t make things equal, it takes Alberta back to the 1950s. This legislation is taking us back to a time when women, visible minorities, Indigenous people, and people living with disabilities were openly discriminated against.” Heather McPherson, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Strathcona

“Canada has a clear, binding obligation under international human rights law to eliminate systemic discrimination and uphold equality for all persons without distinction. 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." David Matsinhe, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research for Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section

Media Contacts: info@nec-cne.ca, media@amnesty.ca

Watch video of the press conference here.

Photos from the press conference are here. Credit to Blair Gable.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT EQUITY COUNCIL
The National Employment Equity Council is a national body that brings together unions, civil society organizations, academic institutions, human rights organizations, and community leaders to advance, monitor and protect employment equity in Canada.

ABOUT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CANADA
Amnesty International Canada is part of a global movement of over 10 million people in more than 170 countries working together to protect and promote human rights. Our mission is to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave human rights abuses and demand justice for those whose rights have been violated.