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After Trayvon Martin, can Canadians be smug about racial profiling?

After Trayvon Martin, can Canadians be smug about racial profiling?

Canadians might have listened with detached interest to U.S. President Barack Obama's personal observations about experiencing racial profiling last week in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case.

But I don't think we have any reason to be smug about our own track record on racial profiling in Canada. It may not reach the extreme levels alleged in Martin's shooting death at the hands of neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. But should we doubt it exists here?

Obama recalled that as a young black man, he was often viewed with suspicion and mistrust, asserting few African-American men have escaped the the experience of hearing car doors lock as they approached, or having a woman clutch her purse nervously when a black man stepped into an elevator with her.

[ Related: Obama tells of his own experiences being racially profiled ]

Douglas Todd, who writes about religion, spirituality and ethics for the Vancouver Sun, printed a letter on his blog Sunday from an African-Canadian man who moved to Vancouver with his family two years ago.

"Since I have been here in Vancouver, I have been treated with great respect by most white Canadians, but with suspicion by many [NOT ALL] others — especially Asians, eastern Europeans [including Russians] and Arabs," wrote Luma Toumany.

He echoed Obama's sense that women especially were nervous when he was nearby.

"Many in this city tend to think that a dark-skinned person or black walking in Vancouver can only be a potential thief," Toumany, who works for a major company and speaks four languages, wrote in his letter.

Last May, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission issued its first report on consumer racial profiling, affecting mostly aboriginal and African Canadians but other visible ethnicities as well. In a survey done for the report, the commission found 77 of respondents said they'd experienced at least once instance of racial profiling in the last year, CBC News reported.

The commission said it appeared the treatment had more to do with stereotyping than overt racism.

"We hope this report will encourage businesses to take a good look at their employee training, policies and business practices to make our province a welcoming and respectful place for shoppers of all ethnic groups," the report said.

Getting the stink eye in a department store is one thing, but the most problematic form of racial profiling happens in contacts with law enforcement.

Toronto police recently settled a human rights complaint launched by former teacher Clem Marshall, who was pulled over in 2009 because officers allegedly didn't believe a black man could afford the new Nissan Altima he was driving, the Toronto Star reported.

“It’s not racial profiling. ... Two black guys driving a car like mine in Parkdale meant crack. ... That’s just the way it is,” the officer told Marshall, according to his complaint as reported by the Star.

Marshall said when he asked why he was pulled over, the officer allegedly yelled "who do you think you are, f--king Obama?" He was eventually issued a $120 ticket because his ownership form wasn't signed.

The settlement, whose terms were kept confidential, came before the tribunal hearing finished but a police spokesman noted there was no finding of fact. Police Chief Bob Blair acknowledged racial profiling occurs, even though he deems it unacceptable, the Star said.

A 2006 study done for the RCMP by University of Ottawa professor Ron Melchers seemed to suggest racial profiling was more of a perception problem than an actual practice, and that some minority groups and human-rights organizations were leveraging data to gain advantage.

"Rather than confront racial profiling beliefs on the battlefield of evidence, one should understand them as perceptions," Melchers wrote, while adding that greater transparency and accountability of police forces would foster understanding among "the portion of the public that is least experienced with respect to the work of law enforcement is not so frequently left perplexed when they do experience contact with their police."

But others see racial profiling as real.

A 2005 study looking at the Kingston Police Department found its officers were 3.7 times more likely to stop a black person than a white one, and 1.4 times more likely to stop an aboriginal person, according to CBC News. The department's chief ordered the study after a series of incidents involving black youth.

[ Related: Police officers suspended without pay for racial profiling ]

University of Toronto criminologist Scot Wortley, who analyzed the data, told CBC News Canadian police forces have opposed collecting statistics on race, routinely gathered by U.S. and British police. Cops worry it may cause officers to second-guess who they pull over, while others say just collecting the information may fuel racial prejudices, CBC News said.

The Ottawa Police Service appears to be abandoning that stance after running afoul of the Ontario Human Rights Commission over its handling of a traffic stop involving a young black man driving his mother's Mercedes.

Last May it launched a two-year traffic-stop data collection project.

"The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is committed to developing and maintaining the trust of the community it serves by providing responsive, effective and equitable policing to all residents," it said. "We are committed to the principle that all persons have the right to live and work in an environment that is free of police action based on racial bias and racial profiling."

Insp. Pat Flanagan, who's heading the project, said officers will now include what they believe to be the race of a driver in their report of a stop, including whether they perceived the driver's race before or after the vehicle was pulled over, CTV News said.