e-2643 (Foreign affairs)

On June 2, the Prime Minister made a statement in the House of Commons commenting on the “horrific reports of police violence against Black men and women south of the border.”He stated that, “As a country, we are not concerned bystanders simply watching what is happening next door. We are part of it. The calls for justice, for equality, for peace, have found echo in our communities because anti-Black racism is also happening here.”

We know that Black communities in Canada, the U.S., and around the world continue to experience anti-Black racism and grieve the loss of life in their communities. Far too often, we witness the odious effects of systemic discrimination, unconscious bias, and anti-Black racism.

Our government has established an Anti-Racism Secretariat to tackle systemic racism in policy implementation, invested in Black Canadian youth programming and mental health programming for Black communities, created a hub to disaggregate data through Statistics Canada at the Centre for Gender, Diversity, Inclusion Statistics, among other programs to tackle inequalities. We know there is more work to be done and we’re committed to doing that work.

A fairer and more just world requires us to acknowledge inequities in our institutions and in people's lived experiences. If we as Canadians truly desire an inclusive country, every one of us must step up, be allies, and do everything we can to make workplaces, communities, and public spaces safer and more inclusive. This responsibility lies with all of us.