Conclusion

“Until all of us have made it, none of us have made it.”
(Rosemary Brown, social worker and politician)

The Steering Group has proposed a way forward to combat the anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination that has led to the overrepresentation of Black people in our criminal justice system, including as victims and survivors of crime. We know that this is possible, and this Plan takes a first step toward achieving the structural and systemic changes necessary to stop the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system and eradicating anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination from all of Canada’s institutions.

In addition to the new investments in this Plan, the Government of Canada has taken earlier action related to some of the recommendations in the Report, as some are similar to recommendations in earlier reports, such as the report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Systemic Racism in Policing. These recent initiatives taken by the Government of Canada to combat anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination can be found in Annex 1.

Notably, the Report includes many immigration related recommendations, including specific amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations led by the Canada Border Services Agency. Annex 1 also includes initiatives at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that seek to address areas of the immigration system that may contribute to systemic discrimination. This work will continue to ensure that the immigration system is also free from anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination.

Our future as Canadians is full of hope and possibility. We hope for and will work toward a future free of all forms of discrimination and we are committed to taking concrete actions to create that reality. We know that this will only be possible if we all join in the fight to eradicate anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination. We invite all people in Canada to join in this path forward to a more equal society and contribute to the changes needed to ensure that all can experience the possibilities that this country affords.