Quebec Released A Plan With 25 Actions To Combat Racism In The Province
The Quebec government's Groupe d'action contre le racisme just released its new report entitled, "Racism in Québec: Zero Tolerance." Outlining 25 action items that the group recommends towards the fight against racism and discrimination, it breaks down the needs and urgency of the lack of resources and accountability in the system.
Many have been quick to point out that the report is missing one key term in the discussion on racism: systemic.
The group was started back in June, following the racial injustice protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. It is co-chaired by Nadine Girault, Minister of International Relations and Lionel Carmant, Minister for Health and Social Services.
Not only does the report acknowledge Floyd, but other victims of discrimination here in Quebec, like Joyce Echaquan.
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Part 1: "Strong Measures For A Society Without Racism"
1. "Putting an end to cases of police discrimination"
- Action No. 1: "Make the ban on random police stops mandatory."
- Action No. 2: "Add social services workers to police services to create mixed patrol teams."
- Action No. 3: "Offer professional development on the issue of discrimination, racism and profiling for police services, correctional services, special constables and other law enforcement agencies."
2. "Combating racism in access to housing"
- Action No. 4: "Combat all discrimination in housing on the grounds of race, colour, ethnicity or national origin by:
reinforcing the processing of complaints related to racism and discrimination in housing;
raising the awareness of the public, especially tenants and prospective tenants, about the complaint process;
raising the awareness of landlords about issues related to racism and discrimination."
3. "Combating racism in access to employment"
- Action No. 5: "Mandate the Commission de la construction du Québec to promote construction trades among visible minorities and create a pool of candidates for recruitment purposes."
- Action No. 6: "Within the next five years, negotiate and conclude international agreements on the recognition of professional qualifications."
"Make the skills assessments carried out by professional orders faster and more flexible for immigrants covered by these mutual recognition arrangements."
"Offer individual support to candidates for a profession or regulated trade and ensure that the skills recognition process can begin from abroad."
- Action No. 7: "Within the next five years, increase the representation of visible minorities among public service employees to reflect their representation in Québec’s labour force."
- Action No. 8: "Ensure the presence of at least one visible minority member on the majority of boards of state-owned enterprises within the next five years."
4. "Informing Québecers about the reality of racism"
- Action No. 9: "Develop a national anti-racism awareness campaign to keep the public constantly informed about the various aspects of racism and discrimination."
- Action No. 10: "Include racism and discrimination issues throughout the school curriculum."
- Action No. 11: "Include the theme of racism in the mandatory courses for initial teacher training."
6. "A government that sets an example"
- Action No. 12: "Appoint a Minister responsible for the fight against racism."
- Action No. 13: "Introduce continual, mandatory training on the issue of racism for government employees."
Part 2: "Assertive Actions to Respond to the Realities of First Nations And Inuit People"
1. "Making all Québecers more familiar with the history, culture, heritage and current situation of Indigenous people"
- Action No. 14: "Include in the national anti-racism awareness campaign a specific component on the realities of Indigenous peoples, to continually inform the public about the racism and discrimination experienced by First Nations and Inuit people."
- Action No. 15: "Make the professional orders aware of the importance of training their members on Indigenous realities."
- Action No. 16: "Make the history and current realities of Indigenous people in Québec a mandatory part of initial teacher training programs."
- Action No. 17: "Change the academic curriculum at the primary and secondary levels to update concepts related to the history, cultures, heritage and current realities of Indigenous peoples in Québec and Canada and their impact on society."
- Action No. 18: "Introduce continual, mandatory training on Indigenous realities for government employees."
2. "Upholding the cultural safety of Indigenous people in public services"
- Action No. 19: "End the informal practice of prohibiting people from speaking Indigenous languages while receiving public services."
3. "Putting an end to cases of police discrimination"
- Action No. 20: "Make the ban on random police stops mandatory."
- Action No. 21: "Add Indigenous social services workers to some police services to create mixed patrol teams."
4. "Improving access to justice"
- Action No. 22: "Increase the resources of Indigenous community organizations that promote access to justice for First Nations and Inuit people."
- Action No. 23: "Improve the capacity of the justice system to address the heritage and life trajectory of Indigenous offenders by granting more resources for the use of the Gladue principle specific to First Nations and Inuit people."
- Action No. 24: "Improve the quality and availability of interpretation services in Indigenous languages for better access to justice."
5. "Improving housing conditions for Indigenous people"
- Action No. 25: "Increase resources allocated to off-reserve housing."
