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e-4167 (Social affairs and equality)

E-petition
Initiated by Vanessa Fells from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the House of Commons

Whereas:
  • Canada, as part of the British Empire, actively participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the enslavement of African People;
  • Systemic anti-Black racism exists in Canada today;
  • Black Canadian lives matter;
  • Nova Scotia is the birthplace of Black history in Canada dating back to 1605;
  • African Nova Scotians are a distinct people who continue to make contributions to all aspects of life in Canada;
  • The United Nations declared 2015-2024 the International Decade of People African Descent and called for nations to acknowledge and apologize for the suffering of the enslavement of African People;
  • The UN Working Group recommended during their trip to Canada, that an apology be issued included for enslavement, related injustices, and to legally recognize African Canadians as a distinct group;
  • The Government of Canada has thus far failed to acknowledge and apologize for Canada’s role in the enslavement of African People and their descendants; and
  • The Government of Canada has provided apologies for atrocities to numerous groups including Indigenous, Japanese, Ukrainians, LGBTQ2+, Chinese. However, Black Canadians have been left out. This is unacceptable.
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to pass a resolution for the Government of Canada to apologize for Canada’s role in the enslavement of African People, and their descendants, create legislation to recognize Black Canadians as a unique group of Canadians, recognize African Nova Scotians as a distinct people and renew Canada’s commitment to addressing the generational effects of enslavement, segregation, and systemic anti-Black racism.

Response by the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Paul Chiang

The Government of Canada thanks the citizens of Canada who called upon the House of Commons to “pass a resolution for the Government of Canada to apologize for Canada’s role in the enslavement of African People, and their descendants, create legislation to recognize Black Canadians as a unique group of Canadians, recognize African Nova Scotians as a distinct people and renew Canada’s commitment to addressing the generational effects of enslavement, segregation, and systemic anti-Black racism”.

As previously stated in August 2021 by the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, “Despite the abolition of enslavement nearly two centuries ago, the legacy of anti-Black racism is still prevalent today… Black Canadians continue to face prejudice, discrimination, and longstanding disparities in access to education, housing, and employment that limit their full and equal participation in society.”

The Government is committed to supporting Black communities across the country through concrete measures that recognize the heritage, contribution of and unique challenges experienced by People of African Descent, and which address systemic barriers and anti-Black racism in all its forms to deliver positive outcomes for Black communities in Canada.

In July 2022, the Government of Canada apologized to the members of No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force for the “anti-Black hate and systemic racism that denied these men dignity in life and in death.” The Government recognizes the important contribution of People of African Descent in shaping Canada’s history, starting with the first documented African Nova Scotian who first arrived in the early 17th century.  

As a collective responsibility, the impacts of systemic racism should be ended by listening, learning, and taking action. That is why in 2018, the Government of Canada officially recognized the United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent (UNDPAD), which provides a global framework for recognition, justice, and development for people of African descent. Subsequently, the Government announced, the launch of the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI) to celebrate, share knowledge, and build capacity in Canada's vibrant Black Canadian communities. In addition, the Government also announced several measures to tackle systemic anti-Black racism, advance the social and economic inclusion and improve the well-being of Black people in Canada and around the world.  

These commitments include:

  • “Recognition of more than 40 people, places, and events of national historic significance that reflect the importance of Black communities to our country’s shared heritage. Designations of locations such as Africville, and people such as Richard Pierpoint and Mary Ann Shadd, acknowledge past tragedies and injustices while highlighting the perseverance, resistance, resilience, and strength of Black Canadians”.
  • SBCCI which aims to build capacity in Canada’s vibrant Black Canadian communities by providing funding to Black-led and Black-serving NGOs. As part of the SBCCI, the Government will establish a National Institute for People of African Descent to advance policy and program initiatives that address issues affecting Black communities in Canada from a Black centric perspective.
  • The renewal of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and the unprecedented creation of an Action Plan on Combatting Hate, through which the Government will take concrete steps to fight systemic anti-Black racism and hate crimes and incidents targeting Black and Afro-descendant communities in Canada. 
  • The Black Entrepreneurship Program, which supports Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and empower them to succeed.
  • The Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund which is dedicated to supporting Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving charities and social purpose organizations.  
  • The Mental Health of Black Canadians Initiative, which supports Black Canadians to develop more culturally focused knowledge, capacity and programs to address mental health and its determinants for Black Canadians.
  • The Community Support for Black Canadian Youth Initiative, which provides funding for youth-focused projects to combat discrimination through awareness raising and/or digital literacy, empower Black Canadian youth through the promotion of Black history, culture and identity, and help youth develop leadership skills.
  • Canada’s Black Justice Strategy will help address the systemic discrimination and anti-Black racism that has resulted in the overrepresentation of Black individuals in Canada’s criminal justice system, including as victims of crime.
  • The National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) which will assist Black Canadians facing housing needs by supporting Black-led organizations to build housing, as well as more affordable housing for Black renter households in Canada.
  • The Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, which leads a whole-of-government approach to working with federal organizations, other orders of government and civil society, to identify systemic racial barriers and gaps, develop new initiatives, and consider the impacts of new and existing policies, services and programs on racialized communities.
  • The North American Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice, which fosters collaboration among Canada, the United States, and Mexico to ensure that every individual has an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential and equal participation in social, cultural, economic, and political life, including through advancing the rights and aspirations enshrined in the multilateral commitment of the International Decade for People of African Descent.

The Government will continue to work with Black communities to co-develop measures aimed at building a more inclusive, fair, equitable and resilient Canada that is respectful of Black identities, that leads to more just and effective systems, and which improve the wellbeing of Black people in Canada, through ongoing partnerships and engagements with Black-led advisory committees such as:

  • The SBCCI External Reference Group, which provides advice to the Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development and Employment and Social Development Canada on the implementation of SBCCI and UNDPAD more broadly.
  • The Steering Group for Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, which provides advice to the Department of Justice Canada on the development of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy.
  • The Mental Health of Black Canadians Working Group, which informs the Public Health Agency of Canada’s delivery of the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund. 
  • The Advisory Committee to Address Anti-Black Racism in research, which advises the work of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to support Black Canadian scholars. 

The Government of Canada recognizes diversity as a source of strength, and that although progress has been made, more work is ahead. The Government of Canada will continue its progress in developing a whole-of-government approach that builds upon the framework of the UNDPAD, by developing policies and projects that tackle anti-Black racism, discrimination, and bias in public and private institutions. To do this well, the Government will continue to engage with partners across the country to ensure that federal programs and services for Black Canadians reflect the realities and needs of Black Canadians.

Open for signature
November 8, 2022, at 8:28 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
March 8, 2023, at 8:28 a.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Andy Fillmore (Halifax)
March 31, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01289)
Government response tabled
May 15, 2023
Photo - Andy Fillmore
Halifax
Liberal Caucus
Nova Scotia