We need action to address the systemic racism

Institutions need to look inward, says Hieu Van Ngo.

As protests against anti-black racism continue, calls for systemic change have gained momentum. Canadian institutions have predictably churned out statements of solidarity. They have yet to commit to action to address systemic racism within their own institutions.

Systemic racism encompasses policies and practices that exclude, marginalize or disadvantage racial minorities. The experience of Indigenous and Black people shows that racism is indeed systemic and entrenched in Canada. Though Indigenous people make up five per cent of the population, they account for 25 per cent of all federal offenders. Black Canadians represent 3.5 per cent of all Canadians, yet Black males make up 7.4 per cent of all federal offenders.

Across the country, Indigenous and Black people have persistently experienced racial profiling and brutality. They are four to six times more likely than white Canadians to be stopped by police. Black Canadians are more likely than white Canadians to be killed or injured at the hands of police. Records of fatal shootings by RCMP officers from 2007 to 2017 showed that 36 per cent of those who were killed were Indigenous people. Inquiries into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls reveal police negligence, misconduct and failure to investigate and bring to justice reported crimes.

The experience of Indigenous and Black people with the justice system is an extension of the injustice they experience in other aspects of life. As many as four out of five Indigenous persons living on reserves and one in four living in urban settings live in poverty. Half the Indigenous people in cities can’t afford to own a home; many live in deplorable conditions.

Black Canadians also struggle to make ends meet. About one in five Black adults live in poverty. More Black men feel discouraged about their education and employment. Their median annual wage is about $15,000 less than that for non-black men.

Decision-making has remained firmly anchored in Eurocentric views

Canadian institutions, on the other hand, have resolutely maintained the status quo. Despite their rhetoric about social inclusion, decision-making has remained firmly anchored in Eurocentric views. Decision-makers are predominantly white males — in Parliament, judicial appointments and corporate boards and management.

In a city like Toronto, where non-white people make up half the population, only 3.3 per cent of the membership of corporate boards and 9.2 per cent of senior management positions are held by non-white Canadians. Indigenous people represent a mere 0.8 per cent of the makeup of the top 500 corporate boards in Canada.

These inequitable realities point to the need for recognition of the inherent worth and contributions of Indigenous and Black people. Canada, like many western societies with a history of colonialism, has had difficulty appreciating Indigenous and Black ways of being and accepting Indigenous and Black people as dignified human beings and competent leaders.

Empty words acknowledging injustice facing Black and Indigenous populations have grown stale in the absence of action to correct biases in our institutions. How many inquiries and strategic plans have been conducted, written and shelved? How many leaders have hoped that the next wave of leaders will lead the change? Thomas King, in The Inconvenient Indian, wrote, “reports have become the Canadian alternative to action.”

So, what would structural change look like in our justice system and other Canadian institutions? All those involved in these systems at all levels must reflect the diversity in their communities. Diverse community members are at decision-making tables. Institutions have in place and, more importantly, implement policies that address diversity and social equity in all aspects — governance, management, human resources, business operations, resource allocation, training and accountability.

At this historic juncture, our leaders cannot remove themselves from the discomfort of self-examination, cloak inactions in words of empathy and solidarity, and ask people for patience. They must take concrete action to transform our institutions.

Hieu Van Ngo is an associate professor of social work at the University of Calgary.