A year after Trudeau knelt down, is his government keeping its promises against racism?

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knelt at a Black Lives Matter rally on Parliament Hill more than a year ago, after the murder of George Floyd sparked protests around the world. Some hailed the action as a commitment to tackle anti-black racism, while others dismissed it as a hollow gesture.

Shortly after this rally, the deputies and senators who make up the parliamentary black caucus published a letter listing more than 40 calls to action to fight racism. They called on the Trudeau government to go beyond mere “token words and gestures” to address the “crisis” facing black Canadians.

“We urge all governments to act immediately. Now is not the time to continue discussions,” the letter said.

Several ministers, Liberal MPs and other parliamentarians supported the letter’s recommendations. Trudeau himself welcomed the recommendations and while he did not specifically commit to implementing all of them, he said he would work with the Black Parliamentary Caucuson to move forward.

So how much progress has the federal government made since then?

CBC News analyzed the 44 calls to action that fall under federal jurisdiction. As of August 1, the government had made progress, budgeted money or proposed legislation to respond to 24 of the 44 calls to action. But the outcome of a widely anticipated federal election in September could undo many of those plans.

And some critics say the proposed measures will still not be enough to bring about substantial change.

Calls to action

The directives of the parliamentary group fall into five main categories:

Collecting Disaggregated Race-Based Data

Support for black-owned businesses

Police and justice reform

Diversify the public service

Support black artists and culture

How is the federal government doing so far?

Members of the Parliamentary Black Caucus said they could not provide a detailed breakdown of where Ottawa and other levels of government are in implementing their recommendations a year later.

Liberal MPGreg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer), chair of the caucus, said the group did not have the resources to keep up with the government’s progress on its calls to action.

“We all do this, you know, the best we can. We’re not a professional public service with all the resources that… they have at their disposal,” Fergus said.

CBCNews has contacted the federal departments most likely to be responsible for implementing the caucus recommendations. CBC News analysis shows that there has been progress on most calls to action either through budget allocations, announcements of new programs or bills.

(CBC News Digital Graphics / Rob Easton and Tim Kindrachuk)

For example, the government has committed to spending $ 172 million over five years to collect more detailed data on women, Indigenous peoples and racialized communities. The government has also invested $ 400 million in its Black Entrepreneurship Program, which aims to provide loans of up to $ 250,000 to black business owners and entrepreneurs across the country.

The government proposed Bill C-22 to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous, Black and other marginalized Canadians in the justice system by repealing minimum sentences mandatory for 20 offenses.

But the bill is still stuck in the House of Commons and if a federal election is called soon, as many expect it to die.

It is not known how much the budgeted money has actually been spent to date. In addition, with a potential election looming, some programs may not see the light of day.

Far enough, fast enough?

Rosemary Moodie is an independent senator from Toronto and a member of the Black Caucus. She said the Liberals should be careful not to brag about the progress made in criminal justice reforms when Bill C-22 has yet to pass the Senate.

Even if the bill escapes death when an election is called, she said, it still won’t go far enough to tackle disproportionate black and Indigenous incarceration rates.

“When you look at the fine print on C-22,” Moodie said, “a third of the 72 mandatory minimums have been addressed in this bill, leaving behind a number of mandatory minimums that we believe should be addressed. be eliminated. .. “

NDP MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Center), another member of the Black Caucus, agrees the government’s penal reform legislation would meet the bare minimum. He also said most of the government’s costly investments in black entrepreneurship will not help average black Canadians.

“It is not the progress that I believe will materially improve the living conditions of working class black Canadians across the country, many of whom are still subjected to police brutality, racial profiling in their jobs, in our communities. health systems and certainly within the police, ”Green said.

Conservative MP Kenny Chiusa said his party has held consultations with black Canadians and community business leaders and his leader Erin O’Toole has a plan “to secure the future with higher wages, more jobs and more economic opportunities “.

“It means jobs and growth in all sectors and in all regions of the country,” he said in a statement.

Fergus told CBC that while he knows there is still work to be done, the government has made gains.

“Is this the timeline that some would like?” No, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that progress is still being made, ”said Fergus, who is Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau and several portfolios in addition to chairing the Black Caucus.

Fergus said the government has yet to make progress in supporting black artists and cultural workers. A spokesperson for Heritage Canada could not mention a program that the department has put in place to support these artists.

“Black organizations and communities are eligible for funding from all programs offered by the Cultural Affairs Sector. However, there are no sub-components of programs specific to black communities in the area, ”said Amy Mills, head of media relations and issue management for the ministry.

Several other departments contacted by CBC said they have launched programs or initiatives to specifically target supports to black Canadians.

Employment and Social Development Canada announced on Wednesday an investment of $ 96 million under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities initiative to support 1,300 projects for black-led organizations.

“We have come a long way,” said Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, a member of the black caucus. “There is more work to be done, of course.”

For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians, from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community, check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

(SRC)

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