The emotional tax of being Indigenous in Canada – Hill Times

March 6, 2023

There are reconciliation expectations on governments, Crown corporations and all citizen-serving entities. Some are actually legal requirements—ensure the safety of Indigenous workers and leaders. Some are moral—do your part for reconciliation now. Delaying reconciliation is just so res-school-era.

OTTAWA—Catalyst is a global non-profit with a Canadian arm which supports companies to help build workplaces that work for women. Catalyst recently released a report about emotional tax defined as “being on guard to protect against bias due to race, ethnicity, and gender.” The report found it’s a serious issue in Canada as well as other countries (Emotional Tax and Work Teams: A View from 5 Countries).

When I was young in my career, I thought everybody put on their armour before coming to work. I didn’t realize that non-Indigenous people don’t. It was a lightbulb moment.

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