Black Canadians want leadership, not lip service

As Canadians, we often “other” ourselves from Americans and are quick to suggest that racism doesn’t exist in our backyard and that “Canada is a cultural mosaic and so welcoming.” Despite its contributions to the Underground Railroad, this country has its own dark history of systemic racism and racial injustices.

In the U.S., 2020 was emblazoned with tragedies, heartache, anxiety, and fear. The death of George Floyd sparked a movement and the start of a long-awaited uprising for marginalized people and the Black community. If 2020 did any good, it’s the fact that it shed muchneeded light on the racial and systemic cracks within North American society.

Canada is not innocent given its history. People of colour have had to endure racial injustices and systemic racism for some time. In the land we now call Canada, slavery was common, going back to the colonial days of New France in the 1600s. Thousands of slaves, mostly Indigenous but many Black enslaved people had lived in the settlement since its beginnings.

Today, Black Canadians and their communities have had issues with police brutality and societal discrimination. In the workplace, racism is nuanced and appears in other ways; labelling a Black person as “aggressive” when they show passion.

A 2019 study found that between one third and one half of Canadians of colour reported discrimination. And of those, 40 per cent experienced it at work.

What should be done to create real change for Canadians now and in the future Undoubtedly, important work is done through policy and government, but real change happens within institutions, communities, education, and systems.

In Canada, the Black population accounts for 3.5 per cent of the population and could represent between five per cent and 5.6 per cent of Canada’s total population by 2036. As a voting block, the community holds power. Traditionally, many Black voters have leaned Liberal out of a long-held belief that it was the best party to serve their interests. Many younger Black voters have started to ask themselves a tough question: If long-term support to the Liberal Party is connected to Black advancement in society, why do Black communities still have to face so many challenges?

Data shows that COVID-19 has affected Blacks and communities of colour disproportionately. It is clear there are very real inequities that exist in our health-care system and other key institutions. Police brutality became a key subject all across Ontario and Canada alike this past year. It’s become clear that there is still a long way to go to successfully address these great many issues, but who will do it?

This January, Conservatives launched their inaugural Conservative Black Congress of Canada organization and event. Over 300 community members and public servants from all orders of government attended the virtual event. In attendance was Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole, who has been adamant about letting Black Canadians, LGBTQ2+ Canadians, and other Canadians of colour know that they too have a home in his Conservative party.

Premier Doug Ford has also been trying to tackle Black issues as well. His government ended the highly prejudiced, “academic streaming program” that has been proven to mainly target and disadvantage students of colour. They recently put forward Alicia Vianga (a Black woman) as the candidate to take on the Liberals in the riding of Scarborough Guildwood.

This government is not afraid to put new Black candidates in winnable ridings. This cannot be said of the Ontario Liberals, who throughout 2020 were repeatedly accused of paying lip service to diversity, and hiding behind an undemocratic nomination process that in many cases disadvantaged people of colour.

Like anything else, current and future governments will be judged not just by what they say, but also by what they do. In the case of the newly led Conservative party, time will tell, but they are off to a great start on being able to effectively tackle Black issues.

Black Canadians need leadership that won’t just pay lip service to diversity, but will truly commit to bringing more Black voices into government and enact policies of the future that will advance the community like never before.