Canadian Governments should address the cancer of Racial Profiling and discrimination

The Black Coalition of Quebec welcomes the United Nations independent expert Ms Gay McDougall’s report on Human Rights. Her report reflects the concern of minority communities and our representation to the government of Canada and Quebec over many years. Canadian Governments should address the cancer of Racial Profiling and discrimination.

The Black Coalition is scandalised by the Canadian government attitude for not only rejecting the report but failing to address the changes necessary to bring justice to minority communities and by comparing itself to countries like Libya, China and Iran. (The Gazette, March 17, 2010 p.A4)

We are also calling on the Quebec Government to address the recommendations made by Ms Gay McDougall particularly in the case of racial profiling and where the police cause serious injuries or death to citizens it is the police who investigates the police. With the predicable outcome the police is always exonerated.
“Minority communities raised serious issues regarding policing, including racial profiling as a systemic practice, biased, heavy-handed policing of some communities and allegations of excessive use of force leading to deaths, particularly of young Black males. Perceptions persist that the police act with impunity in some localities and that investigations are not conducted by independent authorities or civilian review boards”.

She indicated that: “It is essential that investigations into serious allegations of police misconduct have the confidence of communities concerned, are carried out by bodies that are perceived by communities to be independent and that mechanisms of civilian oversight are strengthened where they exist or established where they do not.”