Quebec Government Launches Commission on Systemic Racism, Calls for NonProfit Involvement

Last week, the government announced it would launch a commission on systemic racism in the province, following months of lobbying from community groups and citizens (including us, here at COCo). For those who have been pushing for its creation, the commission is a first step in pushing Quebec’s government to adopt a detailed plan to address racial discrimination.

The investigation will be cross sectorial, looking at experiences of discrimination in work, culture, education, health, and public safety, to name a few. It also takes a particular interest in the experiences of racialized youth and women in the province.

The majority of the testimonials will come through the participation of 15-20 non-profit organizations across the province. These organizations will be contracted to lead the consultations, to take place this fall. Groups interested in contributing will need to signal their interest by August 4th, with an application due on August 18th. The information on this process is available here, in French. 

The investigation will be led by the Quebec Human Rights Commission and has a fairly short timeline, with an end date set for February 2018. The challenge at that point, says Emilie Nicolas, co-director of Quebec Inclusif, will be ensuring that the report goes somewhere.