Racist jokes, bullying and exclusion: Oilsands workers describe discrimination at work

They also say that systemic racism is an obstacle when they try to enter and advance in the industry.

“I went there to improve my life,” said Shane MacQueen, a heavy equipment operator who has worked in the Fort McMurray area for 14 years. “I found that operational equipment was something I liked and loved doing.”

But MacQueen, 41, said at the outset, there were signs that his love of the job wouldn’t always be reciprocated.

In 2006 he got a job as a laborer for the North American Construction Group (NACG), an entrepreneur who provides services to oil and gas companies.

“So, we were a bunch of whites and me, and this guy is making a lot of jokes about blacks and putting me in them,” MacQueen said. “I remember one was, like, Shane jumping on the bed and my hair got stuck in the stucco ceiling.”

North American Construction Group said it cannot fairly respond to what MacQueen described because it happened many years ago and was not reported.

“However, I can assure you that the NACG takes racism very seriously and has numerous policies and practices to ensure it is not part of our workplace,” said Darren Krill, Marketing and Communications Manager.

WATCH | A black tar sands worker describes feeling helpless at work:

Shane MacQueen says he has been the target of mistreatment and racism while working in Alberta’s tar sands for the past 14 years. His story is part of a new ongoing Marketplace series, Face Racism. 3:39

‘You just don’t complain about things’

Garry Quantoen, 47, had a similar experience with a colleague during a recent stint at Badger Daylighting, a hydraulic excavation company.

“Many times he said to me, ‘Man, Garry, I can slap the Black one,'” said Quantoen, noting the comment was a joke. “It’s not something you say to another human, period.”

When asked about the Quantoen allegations, Badger Daylighting said his code of conduct prohibits talking about current or former employees.

“We are committed to eliminating exclusion in all forms and uphold these values, beliefs and commitments,” said Tracey Wallace, vice president of human resources.

MacQueen and Quantoen have never raised racist comments with their respective employers.

“In general, you don’t complain about things,” said Sara Dorow, chair of the sociology department at the University of Alberta at Edmonton, who has studied the oil sands industry and its workers for more than a decade.

“In every workplace, of course, there is both systemic racism and everyday racial discrimination and harassment. But what does it look like there?”

Dorow recalled an example from a recent survey he conducted on mental health among oil sands workers. One worker, a man from South Asia, said his response to insults from colleagues was to “shut up”. He said, “I’m not there to make friends or solve racism. I’m just there to collect a paycheck.”

A 2018 report from PetroLMI, a division of Energy Safety Canada, indicated the percentage of visible minority workers in oil and gas at 13% based on 2016 census data. Visible minorities represented 21% of workers in all sectors for the same census year. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as “people, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are not Caucasian or non-white.”

Treated differently at work

In 2009, MacQueen moved from contractor work to a permanent position with Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), one of the operators in the area. The job brought higher pay and stability, but, again, there weren’t many people of color on the spot, he said, and he found he was being treated harder than his peers.

He said the early mornings and long days were difficult, and he too was worried about his sick mother at the time.

“I was very tired, and during the breaks, I took a nap. And sometimes, I slept too much during the break,” MacQueen said.

When he slept too much, he said, someone would take him out of the truck and ask him to undergo a urine test, and he would receive a “report”.

According to MacQueen, when other workers slept after breaks, someone woke them up and they went back to work. It never happened to him.

“They built this file on me to the point where I am able to let go,” he said.

CNRL offered no comment when prompted by Market MacQueen’s concerns that he was being treated harder.

MacQueen lost that job in 2011 and has since been hired under contract.

He said he had sent dozens of applications for permanent positions over the years.

“They have a place when you ask where it says check if you’re a minority. Sometimes I feel like they use it to not hire you,” she said.

Culture of the “net of the old white boys” in the tar sands

Dorow said there is an “old white boy net” culture in the tar sands, which makes it harder for people of color to get in and move forward.

“You’re knocking on that door. You have to work harder to prove yourself,” he said. “So it’s more control but also more willingness to mistrust or guilt if you are a worker of color.”

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Similaren said he was also spotted working for KMC Mining, another contractor that provides services to companies in the industry.

“I had that supervisor who was on me all the time. This was one particular guy who was basically riding me,” she said.

According to Quantoen, the ongoing issue with his supervisor came to a head in March 2019. A colleague asked him to quickly wash a truck as a favor, but he didn’t insure it before starting work. Similaren says his supervisor scolded him even after explaining the situation and he had to fill out a report on the incident.

“I said, ‘Dude, you’re a big racist, and that’s not fair. And right now, I’m not taking it anymore.'”

Similaren filed a complaint with the company and the situation was investigated by a third party, who concluded the allegations were unfounded. Similaren eventually accepted a dismissal.

“An independent third-party investigation found the employee’s allegations to be unfounded,” said Moe Farhat, director of human resources at KMC Mining, when asked to comment on simileen’s allegations of racist bullying.

“Despite this conclusion, KMC took the opportunity to provide additional leadership and employee training to ensure a work environment free from all forms of harassment and bullying and that we continue to uphold the principles of respect in our company.”

More workers speak

Market heard from many other oil sands color workers about workplace culture within the industry. The types of discrimination they described included:

• Being denied overtime and opportunities for advancement.
• They are told to change their name to something more “Western” to increase their chances of getting a permanent position.
• Difficulty moving from contract work to permanent positions with operators, regardless of qualifications.

“I think it resonates with what I’ve heard, for sure,” Dorow said of the workers’ descriptions of obstacles to progress.

He said the industry is “a really difficult environment to navigate and trust that your skills will, in fact, be recognized and you will get the support you need.”

The drive for change

When asked about the workers’ allegations of racism in the tar sands, the Canadian Association of Oil Producers recognized the importance of diversity and inclusion, but offered no concrete solutions to address racism.

“There is no place for racial discrimination in any workplace,” Media Relations Officer Jay Averill said in a statement.

“Safety is considered the highest value in the oil and natural gas sector, and this includes the right to feel safe from discrimination and harassment at work. The issue of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is important and companies in all sectors must continually strive to build positive work environments. “

Similaren no longer works in the tar sands and has no interest in returning, but MacQueen wants to continue. He said the industry needs a program focused on increasing racial diversity and supporting black workers.

MacQueen said Women Building Futures (WBF), an Edmonton-based non-profit group that helps women find jobs in the trades, provides a good model for such an initiative. Its partners include companies such as Suncor and Imperial Oil.

Jess Thomson, Director of Government and Stakeholder Relations at WBF, agreed that more racial diversity is needed in the oil sands industry.

“I think there is a lot that WBF can help support the work you want to do,” Thomson told MacQueen in September when they met. “For us, it’s that real focus on awareness of opportunities, connections with industry and therefore the right training. And I think it would transfer really well.”

He also agreed to help MacQueen establish those links with the industry.

“I think I’ll be in touch with Jess a lot and will try to pick her brain on the project she has here,” MacQueen said.

“I’ll probably be knocking on some doors to see if we can get a little more support for what I’m trying to do here and really push the industry and make things work.”

For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians – from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community – check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.