Nicholas Marcus Thompson, president and CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat, listened as Madina Iltireh, an employee of Global Affairs Canada, spoke during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The Canadian press
Current and former Global Affairs Canada (GAC) employees who are Black say the department has ignored their complaints about racism and workplace discrimination.
“I was representing Canada, but Canada did not represent me,” said Madina Iltireh, who worked for more than 20 years managing international aid programs. She spoke at a news conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday organized by the Coalition Against Workplace Discrimination.
The coalition includes the Black Class Action Secretariat, which is pursuing legal challenges against systemic racism in the federal public service. The group has appealed a broader case before the Federal Court of Appeal, with a decision expected next year.
Complaints Dismissed, Later Upheld
At the conference, the coalition cited the experiences of three Black employees at Global Affairs Canada whose complaints were dismissed internally but later upheld by courts or commissions — without any compensation.
Among them is Iltireh, who is Black and wears a hijab. She said she endured years of discrimination and bullying while posted abroad.
A GAC investigation in May 2025 found that the diplomat overseeing Canada’s embassy in Kuwait had bullied Iltireh and “adopted discriminatory practices” against her. The findings came only after a court ordered the department to stop rejecting her claims.
“The place I was for three years was toxic, and it was suffocating,” Iltireh said.
Systemic Problems Across the Department
Nicholas Marcus Thompson, executive director of the Black Class Action Secretariat, said Global Affairs Canada has a pattern of silencing employees who raise discrimination concerns.
“It is as bad at Global Affairs as we found in other departments,” Thompson said. “There is a mechanism to report discrimination. That mechanism blocks it. Workers are silenced, and while those workers are held back, the leaders advance.”
He pointed to another case involving a GAC executive who was later found by the public sector integrity commissioner to have slapped and berated employees, despite initial complaints being dismissed.
Calls for Stronger Reforms
Global Affairs Canada launched a workplace reform plan in 2022, called the Future of Diplomacy initiative, to promote merit-based promotions and improve work culture. It introduced a new ombudsperson, a simplified complaint system, and public reporting of misconduct cases.
But Thompson said those measures don’t go far enough. “We’re not seeing deep-rooted reforms,” he said. “They’re Band-Aid solutions that disappear with every change in management.”
He called for independent expert panels to investigate discrimination and for stronger anti-racism legislation within the public service.
Minister Responds
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand addressed the issue Wednesday, saying she takes the allegations seriously. “Discrimination in any form is unacceptable,” she said. “We need a public service where inclusivity and diversity are stronger because that makes our government and our country stronger.”
Anand confirmed she is reviewing at least one of the cases raised by the coalition. “It’s a priority for me as a minister and as a racialized woman,” she said in French.
