No pride in police history of neglect and violence against queer communities
OTTAWA—Some of you are new to caring about the humanity of Black lives. And it shows. In 2016, when Black Lives Matter defiantly stopped Toronto’s Pride Parade for 30 minutes to demand an end to uniformed and armed police presence—a parade that prominently featured the prime minister—they were met with outrage from the queer community. […]
Defund the police? More like re-think how we fund them
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—A little less than two hours’ drive from here lies the city of Edmundston, N.B. With only 16,500 inhabitants, it is notable for straddling the borders of two provinces and two countries. But not much else. However, on June 4, Edmundston became the focal point of national media as an Indigenous woman, Chantel Moore, […]
Avoid painting all police officers with the same brush in push for reform
OTTAWA—Racism is pervasive in Canada. It is found almost everywhere. We can all do better to stamp it out and make meaningful personal, as well as societal, changes. I have made stupid comments, cracked jokes, and given others what I thought were playful nicknames that in hindsight were not appropriate and offensive. That was wrong […]
Black Conservatives urge more engagement, action from CPC and beyond after endorsement flop
Leadership races are natural moments for self-reflection, and Black Conservative Party supporters say they hope the current race, and ongoing anti-Black racism protests, prompt a conversation about what more the party can do to address systemic racism and bring more Black Canadians into its fold—a conversation they say hasn’t happened yet in the race. “The […]
The never-ending outrage: Canadians need to finally come to terms with police brutality and racial injustice
OTTAWA—The video of RCMP officers attacking and punching Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam is disturbing enough. But the truly shocking part of this episode was the conclusion by RCMP supervisors reviewing the incident that it was an appropriate use of force. Wood Buffalo RCMP said “it was determined (by supervisors) that the members’ […]
Senators want to grill cabinet ministers on government’s response to fighting anti-Black, anti-Indigenous racism
A group of Senators is calling for Liberal ministers to testify in the Red Chamber about the government’s role in fighting anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. Independent Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie (Rougemont, Que.) gave notice of a motion on June 16 that, if passed, would set up a committee of the whole in the Senate, and “receive” […]
Black Parliamentary Caucus issues raft of proposals to address racial inequities
The Black Parliamentary Caucus is appealing to governments across the country to act on a series of reforms aimed at addressing the structural inequities that disproportionately leave Black Canadians at a greater disadvantage. In a statement released on Tuesday, the caucus, which is chaired by Liberal MP Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.), outlined a series of […]
Speak out against racism, demand wholesale change in Canada’s police forces
OTTAWA—In the second quarter of 2020, racism and police brutality was brought to the forefront of the world’s consciousness. Black Americans, Native Americans, and allies closed down American cities as a measure of the stark and desperate urgency to change whole systems. Racism and police brutality have no place in any democracy. The movement crossed […]
‘It’s a lot of lip service’: Black federal public servants hope ‘Floyd effect’ will finally drive change as anti-racism movement grips Canada
Black public servants, already more likely to report being victims of racial discrimination than the rest of the federal bureaucracy, are hoping the “Floyd effect” will help drive the changes for which they’ve spent years trying to gain traction. “In some ways, this has had a positive effect in the amount of interest that it […]
Push to arm police with body cameras ‘euphemism’ for fatter budgets, says expert
The pandemic has added urgency to calls to address widespread racial inequities with large-scale reforms, say experts and parliamentarians, but some are split on whether Ottawa’s commitments so far are transformative enough. In a webinar on racism hosted Friday afternoon by the Pearson Centre, panelists butted heads over the government’s initial pledge to equip RCMP […]
