Imagine finding out that your resume ended up in the recycle bin because your name sounded “too ethnic”. It’s the kind of blatant discrimination you’d hope wouldn’t happen in this day and age, but according to one study, this sort of thing happens all too often.

In 2009, University of Toronto Professor Philip Oreopoulos conducted a study in which 6000 mock resumes were sent to recruiters in Toronto. In each resume, the level of education and experience was comparable; the only striking difference was that some applicants’ names were English-sounding while others sounded more Indian, Pakistani or Chinese. A further chunk of resumes featured experience and education acquired outside Canada.¹

An applicant with an English-sounding name who was educated in Canada had a 16% chance of getting called for an interview; an equally-qualified applicant with a more ethnic-sounding name and whose experience and education was acquired outside Canada only received a call 5% of the time.²

When only the applicants’ names were in play, “Alison Johnson” was still 40% more likely to get a call than “Tao Wang”.³

The study points to name-based discrimination being a key factor that could explain why immigrants often struggle in the Canadian job market despite their qualifications.

Oreopoulos conducted a similar study again in 2010, this time expanding the research to include Vancouver and Montreal. When the researchers later interviewed recruiters, they discovered that snap decisions are frequently being made; they end up assuming that a foreign name is synonymous with language difficulties or a lack of critical social skills, despite the resume suggesting otherwise. In other words, it’s a form of subconscious discrimination.⁴

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racism. We thought we’d share this study with our members as a reminder that racism can take many forms.

We mustn’t forget that affirmative action programs are currently on the chopping block. These programs aim to reverse the pattern of earlier discrimination by giving priority to individuals who are socially disadvantaged.

Affirmative action is often a contentious issue. Conservatives such as Stockwell Day and Jason Kenney, for example, are of the opinion that merit alone should be considered when hiring public servants.⁵ But that approach fails to take into account institutional racism.

If “Tao Wang” is passed over for a job early in his working life because of his name alone, then isn’t he starting the race a few seconds after everyone else?

[2] Idem

[3] Idem

[4] Oreopoulos, P., Dechief, D. (2012) Why Do Some Employers Prefer to Interview Matthew, but Not Samir? New Evidence from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network.

[5] Rennie, Steve. (2010) Ottawa orders affirmative-action overhaul. Ottawa Citizen.

Today is the Francophonie Day. Across the globe, more than 220 million men and women speak French; that’s one person out of 32! ¹

In Canada, we often think of French being spoken primarily in one ‘belle province’; but there are actually close to 10 million Canadians who speak French.² In fact, outside Quebec, more and more people are reporting French as their mother tongue. As of 2011, 4.3% of Canadians outside Quebec report speaking French at home; more than 10% report being able to conduct a conversation in French.³

Earlier this month, the Franco-Albertan flag was raised by francophones across Alberta. The Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta has been organizing many activities to celebrate the French language, such excursions to sugar shacks, theatre shows and presentations.

“It’s so vibrant here and we’re one of the few provinces where the French population only keeps growing,” says Isabelle Laurin, director of public affairs for the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta.

“The francophone population that’s been here for many generations is very engaged,” she said. “Some of the challenges we have is getting new Franco-Albertans to recognize that there is a francophone community here .”

Each year, on March 20, the association holds a kiosk at Canada Place in Edmonton to encourage public servants to find out more about the francophone community in the province.

Meanwhile, in Quebec, there really is a continued struggle for linguistic equality rights. Yvon Beaudoin, a UNE Assistant Regional Vice-President for Quebec, recently attended the annual meeting of members of francization committees in Montreal. These committees are required by law; they aim to promote the French language within workplaces employing 50 or more individuals.

Beaudoin said francophones often have to fight to be able to work in the language of their choice. Sometimes, even access to French computer software can be a problem.

“We know it’s much cheaper to buy software in English[BR4] ,” said Beaudoin. “When we want the software in French, it’s always a bit late – it’s not always available. And it’s much more expensive.”

Beaudoin said that businesses in Quebec can obtain financial support from the provincial government to help them offset the cost of French-language software.

Another growing concern in Quebec revolves around the impact of globalization. As Quebec companies are bought out by larger American ones, francophones increasingly see the English language take centre stage.

Beaudoin is also a member of the UNE’s francophone committee. He says he’s seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of the French both during events and on the union’s website.

[2] French and the francophonie in Canada, Statistics Canada, 2011.

[3] Number of people and proportion of the population reporting French by selected language characteristic, Canada outside Quebec, 2006 and 2011, Statistics Canada, 2011