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Sokho Soupin

Employment Equity and Human Resources Planning Advisor

"I want to be a role model for visible minorities and encourage them to take their place in society," explains Sokho Soupin, an Employment Equity and Human Resources Planning Advisor for Correctional Service Canada (CSC). Born in Cambodia, Sokho came to Canada as a refugee at the age of 6.

He has never forgotten the welcome his family received at that time in the little town of St-Pamphile. "People made me feel welcome and told me about their Quebec culture," he recalls. "In my turn, I want to pass on this rich heritage." His own experience and his sense of humour have helped him to assist people from other cultures to integrate, in a spontaneous way. This is why he is so pleased with his new job.

He recently took part in designing a CSC demographic survey on self-identification that will provide an accurate profile of CSC employees and show how representative they are of the Canadian labour force. "We have to be sensitive to diversity so that adaptation is easier and employees are more likely to stay," explains Sokho, who is also a member of selection boards. At targeted competition interviews, his very presence immediately gives people confidence. "As an advisor, I explain to persons interested in a position that in the federal government, opportunities for advancement and development are the same for everyone," he stresses. "Equity is guaranteed here." Sokho is very sports minded and plays soccer on the CSC team, tennis with his father, and badminton and hockey with his friends. His keen interest in informatics also takes up a lot of his free time; he is involved in an information technology consulting firm in Montreal. Part of the reason Sokho can fully enjoy all his hobbies is because of the job stability provided by the Public Service. Laughing, he concludes, "there really are a lot of advantages to working for Correctional Service Canada!"