OT: Canadian Census 2006

[Guy Fraser]

On Wed, 2006-03-05 at 18:23 -0500, Mike McCarty wrote:
> Guy Fraser wrote:
> > 
> > What do you expect. The government will not hire quality technical 
> > staff, since they have quotas and have had special interest groups 
> > to satisfy. Jobs certainly do not go to the best qualified people. 
> > I applied a few times over the last couple decades and each time 
> > was told I would not qualify because I am not in a demographic that 
> > is required to fill the position. Apparently discrimination is 
> > allowed if you are an educated experienced white male with no 
> > visible disability. It also seems that the people who do meet the 
> > demographic conditions, know they can't be fired so are allowed to
> > do a crummy job and get away with it.
> 
> Eh? You don't support Affirmative Action (or whatever it is they
> call it Up North)?
> 
> You *RACIST*!
> 
> Or as Diane Raggsdale used to shout repeatedly in the Dallas,
> Texas City Council Meetings...
> 
> "Yooooouuuu........... are a RACISSSSSSS"
> "Yooooouuuu........... are a RACISSSSSSS"
> "Yooooouuuu........... are a RACISSSSSSS"
> ...
> 
> about 20 to 30 times consecutively, pausing only for breath.
> 
I hope you are being sarcastic.

It probably is called Affirmative Action here in Canada. I am in 
fact being discriminated on by race and sex. I graduated from
college with honours, after two years of work experience I was 
told I need not submit an application, because there were no 
openings for young white males. I submitted the application, 
and never got a response. I tried again a couple more times over 
the last couple decades, but was more eloquently told I would 
not qualify for reasons other than qualifications. I met a guy 
who got one of the jobs last year when he volunteered at a music
festival where I was also volunteering. I did not feel any better, 
about the selection process after talking with him and seeing the 
job he did as a volunteer setting up his part of the network. I 
was glad that, although he spent a lot of time working during the
festival, I did not have any problems, and was able to enjoy my 
time. All I ended up having to do was setup, testing and tear 
down, but I still checked in a few times to make sure everything 
was OK.

I don't judge people by how they look, but by their qualifications.
We have hired technical staff from many demographic groups, the 
only things we require are qualifications, and the ability to 
speak clearly understandable English if customer interaction is 
a required part of the job.