OSPE - The Voice - December 2017 - 24
Cover
EDI in Engineering stories that shaped who I am as
a black P.Eng. female
in Canada
In 2018 OSPE launches their Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
committee. We sat down with the committee's chair,
Réjeanne Aimey who shared some of her experiences.
Q.
Have you encountered sexism and/or racism in
your technical education and profession? How did
you overcome it (mentally and practically)?
I would answer yes but will also say that it felt more like racism
than sexism; the men around me were aware of the potential
impact of harassment to the work environment and did a great
job in stifling any unwanted advances. I feel I am able to claim
racism because though I was born in Canada, I was raised in
another country that is a melting pot of races and cultures,
until the end of high school. My family members held positions
in their chosen fields, most politicians looked exactly like me
and I was surrounded by others who mostly looked like me. No
one's ambition was tempered in academia due to their family's
socio-economic status, and so there was no question about my
abilities or pursuits. I attended one of the best high schools and
studied alongside some of the most intelligent and successful
women I will ever meet in this lifetime. I share all this to say
that I know what equal and preferential treatment feels like
and there was a definite shift in that feeling when I arrived back
in Canada.
My ambition, resolve, drive, and determination is strong;
qualities instilled in me by my family, friends, teachers, and
leaders. It definitely helped growing up in the environment that
I did. For the most part I ignored any slights I noticed along my
journey and was grateful for the opportunities I did receive.
To be fair, I don't believe that those who introduced unnecessary
barriers throughout my career were fully aware that their
decisions were likely based on skewed perceptions of my race
and culture than on my actual abilities.
24
The VOICe
December 2017
Réjeanne Aimey, P.Eng., MBA
At one time in my career I worked for an organization with a
significant number of employees from all over the world. The
best part about working there was the diversity of the people -
the sharing of stories and the shared value of broad perspectives
on every topic; both professional and non-professional. The
variety in ages at each professional non-management level
spanned decades. The camaraderie made the space a great
place to work and grow professionally.
Although the work was intense and challenging; friendly smiles
from my peers and contentment all around more than made up
for it. Then one day I began to realize that we were not all
treated equally. Management did not reflect the diversity in
the workspace and those being recognized and promoted were
not reflective of that diversity either; they were reflective of the
existing management.
As I remember it, I began to notice that some individuals
were singled out. These individuals would be provided with
specialized information that they then presented as their own
and were subsequently rewarded with privileged opportunities.
When I mentioned what was occurring to others outside of the
workspace, instead of relating or understanding, I was accosted
with words that implied my expectations of fair treatment was
the problem. This made me feel like there was no support
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - December 2017
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OSPE - The Voice - December 2017 - Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - December 2017 - 4
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