Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day
March 21st was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued a statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination saying, “Today, on this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we reaffirm our commitment to building a fairer, kinder, and more inclusive Canada… Our efforts to combat systemic racism are spearheaded by Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy. The Strategy takes a comprehensive, cross-government approach to remove barriers and make Canada more inclusive. As part of the Strategy, we are giving communities and organizations the tools they need to eliminate inequities and combat racism, including through funding, knowledge sharing, and collaboration on joint initiatives. We are also working to create our first-ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate to help address hate incidents, hate crimes, and violent extremism. (https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2024/03/21/statement-prime-minister-international-day-elimination-racial)
As a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Canada has resolved to adopt all necessary measures for speedily eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations. Eliminating racial discrimination is not a challenge with simple, permanent solutions. It is a body of moving targets in a constantly changing landscape. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a moment to take stock of what has changed, what has improved, and what has gotten worse for racialized and religious minority communities.
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) was created as part of a 1988 agreement between the Government of Canada and the national Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC). The Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement acknowledges the government’s wrongful treatment of Japanese Canadians during and after World War II. As a symbolic redress for those injustices, the Agreement provided individual compensation to Japanese Canadians, but also negotiated a contribution of $12 million on behalf of the NAJC community, matched by an equal amount from the Government of Canada, to create a one-time $24 million endowment to establish the CFFR. The CRRF operates at arm’s length from the government, and its employees are not part of the federal public service. It operates on income derived from the investing of the endowment capital, grants, contracts, and donations. The CRRF has registered charitable status, and while the head office is located in Toronto, its activities are national in scope.
In November 1999, the CRRF with its partners and sponsors, launched “See People for who they really are: Unite Against Racism,” the largest anti-racism campaign of its kind in Canadian history. As part of its efforts to engage Canadians in a national dialogue about racism, the campaign featured the public service announcements produced by directors from across the country (Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, First Nations, and British Columbia) interpreting a different aspect of racism as it affects Aboriginal Peoples and racialized minorities in Canada.
Hate crimes in this country have been on the rise in recent years. From 2019 to 2022, the number of police-reported hate crimes rose by 83 percent with racialized communities disproportionately impacted by these incidents. This does not consider the estimated 80 percent of hate crimes that go unreported across the country every year. Online, hate seems to have no limit. Digital platforms have served as breeding grounds for hate speech and extremist ideologies as individuals of similar mindsets can join together from around the globe. Recent research shows a concerning rise in online hate speech targeting racialized communities, and social media platforms have not done enough to stop the spread of hate, misinformation, and discrimination.
In spite of the grim numbers, individuals and communities across the country continue to strive to bridge divides and find real solutions to ending discrimination. From the Black Canadian civil society leaders who shared their reflection and recommendations following the first International Decade for People of African Descent, to the patients, healthcare workers, and medical experts who weighed in on racism, and initiatives to rectify it, in Canada’s healthcare system, to the hundreds of groups organizing events and launching projects to fight racism in their communities across Canada, people are standing up to hate.
The recently introduced federal Online Harms Bill addressing online harms including hate speech, is a politic and legal first step in protecting everyone, including our youth and young adults from online acts of hate, threats, and violence. Under the bill online hate speech would be included as a form of discrimination and the government is also looking to create a new ‘Hate Crime’ offence that could be applied to any other offence, instead of it lonely being able to be listed as an aggravating factor.
Racism will not be eliminated tomorrow and not even next year, and in the meantime, injustice persists. Doubling down to end systemic racism is the only option, because in Canada, one in four people are racialized, and that number is only growing. The CFFR, in its efforts to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination in Canada, provides education and training initiatives for individuals and organizations. These education and training initiatives focus on capacity building for organizations to create just equitable, and inclusive environments. Through toolkits, the CRRF helps users learn more about racism and how to help in the fight against it. The downloadable toolkits include a Reconciliation Toolkit for Business Leaders and the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination (CCMARD) toolkit. They also provide virtual anti-racism workshops for organizations across the country. It is not enough to be against racism; one must actively work against it. Words without action mean nothing and action is what is needed to ensure that all people in Canada feel safe, engaged, and respected.
The CRRF has also developed an exclusive, free on-line program that has brought together a “faculty” of subject matter experts to create a curriculum and a set of reading materials. The online program is open to any person wanting to learn more about racism and its effects. Learners read provided material and participate in courses led by faculty members who are experts in the topic of discussion. Available courses include Understanding how the Brain Develops Bias; Interfaith Learning and Understanding; Systemic Racism in Canada; A Primer on Intercultural Dialogue; and Canadian-Indigenous Treaties. (https://crrf-fcrr.ca/training-workshops/)
Racism and hate cannot be legislated away. Ending racism, ending hate starts with the individual. Learning about racism and deciding to end ones own racist beliefs and habits is the first step. Educating others is the next. Standing up to racism makes allies of us all.
Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Wakaw Recorder
