Liberals told to be careful as they frame racism plan

OTTAWA — The Trudeau Liberals are being told to be careful about how they frame a national dialogue on racism to ensure it focuses on solutions, instead of sparking a contentious debate that could thwart federal efforts.

The Liberals will soon launch consultations on a national antiracism strategy promised in February’s budget.

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, who will oversee the work, said the government wants to “find real solutions to real problems,” particularly on fundamental rights, access to justice and jobs.

Previous efforts to talk about racism have not gone well.

Concerns about free speech forced their way into discussions around a House of Commons motion condemning Islamophobia.

Similarly, the Quebec government’s plan to consult on systemic racism was met with objections that forced the province to tone down its plans.

MP Greg Fergus, chair of Parliament’s black caucus, said federal consultations must ensure debate doesn’t devolve into accusations of racism, but rather examine how discrimination manifests itself.

“Systemic racism exists in Canada,” Fergus said in French after a Liberal caucus meeting.

“We’re much better than other societies around the world, but ... we still have our flaws.”

A recent House of Commons committee study on combating Islamophobia and systemic discrimination and racism recommended the government craft a national anti-racism strategy — which will happen as part of $23 million in spending over two years for multiculturalism programs.

The committee also pushed the government to do a better job of collecting and analyzing data on diversity and inclusion, which Statistics Canada received

$6.7 million to do over five years.

A survey released by the Association of Canadian Studies suggests concerns remain about racism in the country.

About half of respondents in an online web panel said they believed racism was a serious problem in their province.

The results also suggest respondents who have more contact with different minority communities tended to have more favourable views toward those communities — a finding especially true for younger respondents, said Jack Jedwab, the association’s president.

As well, just over half of respondents expressed interest in having a dialogue with Indigenous Peoples about reconciliation.