Trudeau needs to make anti-Black racism a Canadian priority
Last week the UN Human Rights Council discussed a report on anti-Black racism in Canada, which included formal recommendations for the federal government to apologize for slavery, erect monuments honouring contributions made by Black Canadians and enact policy changes to combat institutional anti-Black racism.
The recommendations are familiar to Black Canadians. Advocates across the country have been making these requests of government for generations.
This government has been wildly ambitious in leading on UN issues. We’ve seen firm commitments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leading globally in the advancement of women’s issues, making the necessary changes to combat climate change and making sincere progress on Indigenous reconciliation.
It’s time for the prime minister to prioritize issues facing Black Canadians on his political agenda.
This past February, Black leaders representing more than 25 organizations from across Canada came together and asked the Canadian government to officially recognize the UN Decade for People of African Descent, which runs from 2015 to 2024. Recognizing that celebrating Black history is important, the group asked political leaders to take an honest look at the state of affairs in Canada for Black communities today.
We applauded Canada’s commitment to multiculturalism but noted that when it comes to policing, corrections, health equity, mental health, public appointments and immigration, general diversity and inclusion policies weren’t cutting it.
In a day of meetings with more than 60 Parliamentarians, we asked political leaders to refrain from resting on the comfort that race relations in this country are better than our neighbours in the U.S. That is too low a standard to strive for. While this federal government seeks to be global leaders on so many progressive issues, we asked that naming and combat institutional anti-Black racism be prioritized among them.
The prime minister and his office have met with Black community leaders on priority issues and wisely sought the counsel of his talented Black caucus members with valuable insights into their communities. However, we have yet to see a concrete strategy on how he plans to address the concerns raised.
In the meantime, it has been community organizations and provinces providing leadership to combat institutional anti-Black racism.
The Ontario government already formally acknowledged the UN Decade for People of African Descent and was the first province to commit to disaggregated race-based data collection. This summer it completed a cross-province consultation with Black leaders and youth identifying how they will spend $47 million over four years in Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor and Hamilton through the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan.
This week the Nova Scotia government announced $2.7 million in funding over two years to help residents in select historically Black communities to obtain legal title of land ownership. Black community organizers asked all parties to commit to moving on this issue during the recent election. The support they are providing is 200 years in the making.
In August, the Canadian Caucus of Black Parliamentarians hosted the third annual African-Canadian Government Leaders’ Network Summit in Ottawa. At the meeting, many of the issues laid out in the UN report were debated and best practices were shared between leaders.
At the community level, Black political advocacy institutions are popping up across the country. This past year alone, we’ve seen the establishment of the Federation of Black Canadians, the National Congress of Black Canadians and the resurgence of Operation Black Vote Canada preparing Black candidates to run for office.
Black Lives Matter has passionately and tirelessly organized around criminal justice issues in communities across the country. The African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition made up of 17 African Nova Scotia Organizations has been instrumental in critically examining the situation of people of African descent in Canada.
The African diaspora in Canada is remarkably diverse. The needs of Black Canadians are not uniform, but it’s clear that general diversity policies championed by this government are not adequately addressing our unique issues.
As this government works toward near impossible deadlines for cannabis legalization, I worry that in the haste the impacts to Black Canadians could be glossed over.
But I’m choosing to stay optimistic in believing this government gets it. The issues are on the agenda, it’s simply been a matter of moving them up.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait until another Black History month comes around before the prime minister announces his plan.
Tiffany Gooch is a political strategist at public affairs firms Enterprise and Ensight, secretary of the Ontario Liberal Party Executive Council and an advocate for increased cultural and gender diversity in Canadian politics.