An official press release of the government of Canada:
From: Department of Justice Canada
News release
June 27, 2024 – Ottawa, ON, Unceded Algonquin Traditional Territory – Department of Justice Canada
Anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination have their origins in Canada’s history of colonialism, slavery, and segregation, and can impact the ability of Black people to fully contribute to Canadian society.
Upper Canada more or less ended slavery in 1793.
Addressing this issue is critical to building a fairer, more equal Canadian criminal justice system. To do so, the Government of Canada has committed to developing Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, including through consultations and engagements with Black communities.
Today, the Honourable Arif Virani
An Ismaili Muslim of Gujarati ancestry who was born in Kampala and kicked out of Uganda by Idi Amin for being South Asian. So you can imagine what he really thinks about blacks. But, no need to bring that up!
… The work of the external Steering Group is based on an intersectional, anti-Black racism, and anti-oppression lens that responds to and reflects the diverse histories, backgrounds, experiences and regional realities of Black communities in Canada.
Their Report sets out 114 recommendations to address anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination in the criminal justice and other related systems that has led to the overrepresentation of Black people in Canada’s criminal justice system, including as victims of crime….
The Report reflects the outcomes of the consultations and engagements with Black communities in Fall 2023, which were organized and conducted by 12 Black-led community-based organizations across Canada. Through those consultations, participants courageously shared real-life stories of anti-Black racism and its impact on themselves, their families and their communities.
… Today, the Government of Canada recommits to leading efforts to eliminate anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination that prevents the full inclusion of Black people in our society.
… There are many factors that contribute to Black people’s overrepresentation in the criminal justice system, including research that shows that Black people frequently have lower-than-average incomes, higher rates of unemployment, less access to safe and stable housing, lower educational outcomes in Canadian schools, and poorer health and mental health outcomes.
In 2020-2021, despite representing about 4% of adults in Canada, Black people accounted for 9% of the total offender population in federal corrections. (Justice Canada, 2022)
That’s really not that bad by African-American standards.
But Canada is working on getting its blacks to behave as badly as American blacks. It’s a tough job, but I’m betting they are up to the task.
