Affirmative Action: Unfair Discrimination In Canada

The term “Affirmative Action” originated from the United States of America to prohibit unfair discrimination against certain groups of people because of non job related characteristics in terms of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 . Canada was not far behind in this movement, “Affirmative Action” was set in place through the “Canadian Employment Equity Act” for the same purpose. After reading through the articles as well as some supplemental material revolving around affirmative action I have concluded that affirmative action is in fact a form of discrimination, but is not an unfair form of discrimination, it simply eliminates unfair discrimination and develops skills of those individuals who have not had equal opportunities. As Plous (2003)
explains in his paper, “Ten myths about affirmative action,” myth number seven addresses the topic of curing discrimination with discrimination. Although it sounds like it skims along the lines of “two wrongs don’t make a right,” it does make sense. Plous (2003) explains, “The most effective way to cure society of exclusionary practices is to make special efforts at inclusion.” I believe this tackles the issue that there is a widespread agreement that equality of opportunity is a requirement for a just society. In essence, practices and selection criteria should be made to ensure organizations do not exclude qualified people from consideration for available positions or employment benefits, regardless of their race, religion, color, or gender. Affirmative action focuses on groups that have been discriminated against in the workplace; it focuses on these groups because they were discriminated before. Another question to take into consideration is that, although affirmative action is put in place to create equal opportunity, does it actually even out the playing field, so to speak, among people in the workplace?
From the definition of affirmative action, you would probably assume that affirmative action has improved the employment status of women and minorities in the workforce, you would be correct. Harris (2009) explains in his article, “Revisiting affirmative action in leveling the playing field,” that without the policy of affirmative action in place and without the use of gender, race, sex or ethnicity as part of the decision making process, the employment status of women and minorities would have been much worse. Women have been the biggest beneficiaries which have been followed by
minorities. I think the most contemporary issue concerning affirmative action is if it needs to be re-evaluated or changed.
Affirmative action began out of necessity in order to benefit women and minorities because of the fact they had been disadvantaged for so many years. Although affirmative action has had its positives in helping minorities and women in the workplace, people’s views are evolving and we are seeing a significant drop in racism and feminism. With that in mind, there are some negative aspects with affirmative action today. For instance, business has suffered some repercussions. Affirmative action has forced some businesses to demand quotas and ratios of minorities and women in the workforce. In saying this, a less qualified applicant could possibly land a job in which they applied for simply because he or she is a minority, which results in preferential treatment. In conclusion, although affirmative action was set in place to increase employment equality, it is still a form of discrimination. Although it can be seen as perhaps a more positive act of discrimination it still has some negative outcomes. Preferential treatment is a problem in the workplace these days and should be looked at very carefully. In order for affirmative action to truly be effective, our society must grow to be a true colorblind society that accepts men and women as equals. Until that happens affirmative action will always have some benefits, but it will also have some
negatives. Works Cited
CNN Library. (2013, Nov 12). Affirmative Action Fast Facts. Retrieved Nov 12, 2013, from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/us/affirmative-action-fast-facts/
Harris, G. (2009). Revisiting Affirmative Action in Levelling the Playing Field: Who Have Been the True Beneficiaries Anyway? Rewvie of Public Personnel Administration , 354-369.
Plous, S. (1996). Ten Myths About Affirmative Action. Journal of Social Issues , 25-31.