fostering employment equity and diversity in the nova scotia legal
fostering employment equity and diversity in the nova scotia legal
fostering employment equity and diversity in the nova scotia legal
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EQUITY HIRING GUIDELINES - AN OVERVIEW<br />
The committee recognizes that a commitment to <strong>employment</strong> <strong>equity</strong> <strong>and</strong> affirmative action will<br />
only be effective if law firms have good human resource practices <strong>in</strong> order to create a workplace<br />
that welcomes <strong>diversity</strong> <strong>and</strong> recognizes ability. Good <strong>in</strong>tentions are not enough <strong>and</strong> a compliance<br />
regime is required if <strong>the</strong> government is to be fair to both <strong>in</strong>digenous Black <strong>and</strong> Mi’kmaq lawyers<br />
<strong>and</strong> law firms that achieve <strong>employment</strong> <strong>equity</strong>.<br />
By adopt<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>employment</strong> <strong>equity</strong> policy <strong>and</strong> enforc<strong>in</strong>g it, <strong>the</strong> government can ensure that law<br />
firms not only make a commitment to good practice but implement good practices.<br />
The committee drafted a policy that would not only require law firms to adopt an affirmative<br />
action program but also provide a checklist of steps any employer should undertake. The policy,<br />
as set out <strong>in</strong> Part II of this report, opens with a description of <strong>employment</strong> <strong>equity</strong> <strong>and</strong> affirmative<br />
action <strong>and</strong> a commitment to use only private law firms that are <strong>in</strong> compliance with <strong>the</strong> policy.<br />
Law firms would be required to commit to <strong>employment</strong> <strong>equity</strong> <strong>and</strong> make <strong>the</strong> commitment known<br />
to its workforce. We believe law firms that make <strong>the</strong> commitment will wish to keep <strong>the</strong><br />
commitment <strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong> commitment will itself create an impetus toward an open, welcom<strong>in</strong>g<br />
workplace for all members of <strong>equity</strong> seek<strong>in</strong>g groups.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> centre of <strong>the</strong> policy is <strong>the</strong> action plan. The action plan promotes good human resource<br />
practices such as up-to-date position descriptions <strong>and</strong> equitable hir<strong>in</strong>g, promotion <strong>and</strong> retention<br />
practices. But it also allows <strong>the</strong> Department of Justice to monitor <strong>the</strong> performance of <strong>the</strong> law firm<br />
<strong>in</strong> achiev<strong>in</strong>g its affirmative action targets <strong>and</strong> goals. This entails numerical goals <strong>and</strong> objectives.<br />
In encourag<strong>in</strong>g law firms to achieve numerical goals <strong>the</strong> Equity Hir<strong>in</strong>g Guidel<strong>in</strong>es do not require<br />
<strong>the</strong> hir<strong>in</strong>g of a person who does not have <strong>the</strong> qualifications to perform <strong>the</strong> job properly, nor do <strong>the</strong><br />
guidel<strong>in</strong>es call for <strong>the</strong> hir<strong>in</strong>g of an unqualified person <strong>in</strong> preference to a c<strong>and</strong>idate who is qualified.<br />
The goal sett<strong>in</strong>g process is used to target <strong>and</strong> measure <strong>the</strong> effectiveness of <strong>the</strong> Equity Hir<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Guidel<strong>in</strong>es. Moreover <strong>the</strong> guidel<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong>corporate a flexibility designed to ensure that <strong>the</strong><br />
numerical objectives are realistically established <strong>in</strong> consultation with <strong>the</strong> law firms. Compliance is<br />
measured by whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> firm has made good faith efforts to meet its goals. Failure to meet goals<br />
is not a violation of <strong>the</strong> <strong>equity</strong> hir<strong>in</strong>g guidel<strong>in</strong>es provided <strong>the</strong> firm satisfies <strong>the</strong> M<strong>in</strong>ister it has made<br />
its best effort to comply.<br />
The Department of Justice representatives on <strong>the</strong> Committee, Doug Keefe <strong>and</strong> Judith Ferguson,<br />
expressed some concern about numerical goals <strong>and</strong> objectives <strong>and</strong> requested that an addendum be<br />
attached to this report.<br />
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