Transport Canada has suspended six employees without pay for spreading a racist email at work more than a decade ago, following a CBC News story last year that triggered an internal investigation.
The department’s probe found 10 workers shared an Islamophobic parody song called “Strangers on my Flight,” set to the tune of a Frank Sinatra number, between 2006 and 2010. The spoof song features derogatory lyrics based on racial stereotypes about travellers wearing turbans and mentions harming travellers with baseball bats.
In a memo sent to all staff on Tuesday, the department’s deputy minister Michael Keenan and associate deputy minister Arun Thangaraj said that while the email was sent years ago, its distribution amounted to an act of “systemic racism that had a negative impact on our workplace and the public’s confidence in Transport Canada’s ability to operate without bias.”
Of the 10 employees who shared the email, only six still work for the department.
“The department carefully assessed the appropriate discipline required in response to these actions which reflects the gravity of the issues at play regarding racism and discrimination in our workplace,” Keenan and Thangaraj wrote. “Accordingly, the six employees have received unpaid suspensions.”
‘Unconscious bias and systemic racism’
The 10 Transport Canada employees who shared the email worked in aviation safety at the time — the section of Transport Canada that oversees the enforcement of Canada’s “no-fly list” with airlines.
The no-fly list program has been criticized for mistakenly flagging some Canadians as security risks because of their names. A group of parents whose children are on the list complained to the department about the racist email in 2018, but action wasn’t taken until CBC’s report.
Keenan and Thangaraj said in his memo that the department has “seized on this incident, along with the Black Lives Matter movement” to address “unconscious bias and systemic racism in our organization.”
Transport Canada has assigned a pair of senior executives to advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. They’re responsible for engaging employees to identify problems and come up with management changes, according to the minister’s office.
Sarah Willson with her son Amin Karim and husband Faizal Karam. Her five-year-old son has been on Canada’s “no-fly list” since he was a baby. (Submitted by Sarah Willson )
Sarah Willson’s five-year-old son, Amin Karim, has been on the no-fly list since he was a baby. She was among those taking part in a virtual meeting with Keenan this week to explain the disciplinary action being taken against the employees.
“That was quite surprising to us,” she said. “It sounds like they have actually put a lot of thought into this and have taken some meaningful action, including suspensions.”
She said the families worked with Transport Canada on the new redress system and have now asked the Deputy Minister to start collecting data on who is being chosen for secondary screenings at airports to determine whether discrimination is taking place.
Ruby Alvi said she was “relieved” Transport Canada “finally took [the email] seriously.” Her three sons have been on the no-fly list for as long as it’s been around.
“I think this is really the beginning,” said Alvi. “Six unpaid leaves is huge. The fact they are now incorporating education training, anti-bias training and even executive leads in this area was reassuring to me.”
Her 21-year-old son, Aadam Ahmed, said it took a while, but he hopes this sets a “precedent that no government agency should ever allow this in their environments.”
Email reported to department twice before CBC report
Transport Canada said management first became aware of the email in 2017 when it was given a hard copy in the course of an investigation to resolve ongoing workplace problems, according to its third investigation report. No further action into the email was taken at that time.
In 2018, another hard copy of the email was given to Transport Canada by Amnesty International on behalf of the families fighting to get their children off the no-fly list. The review that followed ended without disciplinary action.
After CBC News reported on the issue in December 2019, Transport Minister Marc Garneau launched a third probe.
“Our government does not tolerate racism, discrimination or harassment or any kind in the workplace and I am pleased to see that action has been taken against a number of individuals,” said Garneau in a media statement.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers placed All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve because of his lingering calf and Achilles tendon injuries.
The move made Saturday means McCaffrey will miss at least four more games after already sitting out the season opener. He is eligible to return for a Thursday night game in Seattle on Oct. 10.
McCaffrey got hurt early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before returning to the field on a limited basis last week. He was a late scratch for the opener on Monday night against the Jets and now is sidelined again after experiencing pain following practice on Thursday.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
The Niners made up for McCaffrey’s absence thanks to a strong performance from backup Jordan Mason, who had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. Mason is set to start again Sunday at Minnesota.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
Now San Francisco will likely rely heavily on Mason, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech who had 83 carries his first two seasons. He had at least 10 touches just twice before the season opener, when his 28 carries were the most by a 49ers player in a regular-season game since Frank Gore had 31 against Seattle on Oct. 30, 2011.
The Niners also have fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. on the active roster. Guerendo played three offensive snaps with no touches in the opener. Taylor had 65 carries for Green Bay from 2021-23.
San Francisco also elevated safety Tracy Walker III from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
BRUSSELS – Canada walked away with some hardware at the Diamond League track and field competition Saturday.
Alysha Newman finished third in women’s pole vault, while Marco Arop did the same in the men’s 800-metre race.
Newman won a bronze medal in her event at the recent Paris Olympics. Arop grabbed silver at the same distance in France last month.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy, who captured gold at the Summer Games, again finished atop the podium. Sandi Morris of the United States was second.
Newman set a national record when she secured Canada’s first-ever pole vault medal with a bronze at the Olympics with a height of 4.85 metres. The 30-year-old from London, Ont., cleared 4.80 metres in her second attempt Saturday, but was unable conquer 4.88 metres on three attempts.
Arop, a 25-year-old from Edmonton, finished the men’s 800 metres with a time of one minute 43.25 seconds. Olympic gold medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya was first with a time of 1:42.70.
Djamel Sedjati, edged out by Arop for silver in Paris last month, was second 1:42.87
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MILAN (AP) — Bologna’s preparations for its Champions League debut are not going well though it managed to spoil Como’s first Serie A home match in 21 years on Saturday.
Bologna came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw to gather three points from its opening four matches.
Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Its only other appearance in Europe’s top competition was in 1964 in the preliminary round of the old European Cup.
AC Milan is also winless as it prepares for a Tuesday Champions League match against Liverpool. The Rossoneri hosted promoted Venezia later. Juventus drew at Empoli 0-0.
Como made a great start in the fifth minute when Patrick Cutrone attempted to roll the ball across the six-yard box but it took a huge deflection off Bologna defender Nicolò Casale for an own goal.
Bologna thought it was gifted a way back into the match on the stroke of halftime when referee Marco Piccinini signalled for a penalty following an Alberto Moreno handball, but he revoked his decision and instead gave a free kick because the handball was just outside the area.
Bologna improved after the break but found itself further behind when Cutrone raced onto a through ball and cut inside past a defender and fired into the far bottom corner.
Tommaso Pobega hit the post for Bologna, which finally pulled one back in the 76th through substitute Santiago Castro.
Another substitute helped the visitors snatch a point when Samuel Iling-Junior curled a fine strike into the top left corner in stoppage time.
Unbeaten sides
Juventus, and more surprisingly Empoli, are among six unbeaten sides.
Empoli held Monza and Bologna to draws either side of a shock 2-1 win at Roma. Juventus’ perfect start to the season was ruined by Roma in a goalless draw before the international break.
On Saturday, there were few clearcut chances in Empoli although home goalkeeper Devis Vásquez made spectacular saves to fingertip out a Federico Gatti header and deny Dusan Vlahovic in a one on one with the Juventus forward.
Empoli had a good opportunity in the 73rd minute following an Alberto Grassi one-two with Pietro Pellegri but the finish was straight at Mattia Perin.
The host could have won it right at the death but Gatti flew in with a great sliding block to keep out Emanuel Gyasi’s close-range effort.
Juventus hosts PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.
