Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 23rd, 2017

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I call the meeting to order.

It's Monday, October 23. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), this committee is studying systemic racism and religious discrimination.

We have two witnesses for this hour. We have Serah Gazali and Narges Samimi from Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House in British Columbia, and then we have Mr. Balpreet Singh from the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

Mr. Singh will join us via video conference, so that's why his name is here, but he isn't. We will come to him when his time comes.

I want to explain to the witnesses here the usual format. You have 10 minutes as a group—you can divide it into five minutes and five minutes, or one of you can be the spokesperson for the group—but no more than 10 minutes. Then we will go to a question-and-answer segment. Hopefully Mr. Singh will be here by that time so that we can go straight to him after you have finished.

We will begin for 10 minutes, and I will give you a two-minute warning.

[Narges Samimi, Community Member, Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Who is going to be speaking?

It's Serah.

[Serah Gazali, Community Member, Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House]

Madam Chair and honourable members, my name is Serah Gazali. Thank you all for your invitation.

This September, 53 people—a diverse group of community members, including first nations, youth, settlement employees, researchers, self-identified Muslims, and Chinese seniors—gathered at Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House in Vancouver. Those attending shared their experiences of systemic racism and religious discrimination. Through a thoughtful and engaged dialogue emerged the recommendations we will present to this committee today.

The dialogue was initiated by the office of Jenny Kwan in response to motion M-103. Today Narges Samimi and I will speak on behalf of Frog Hollow and those who attended the community dialogue. We speak as participants in this dialogue, as members of minority communities, and as individuals whose lives have been impacted by racism. We also speak as Canadians who wish to see a more equitable and stronger economic life for each person living in this country.

The dialogue generated more than 20 recommendations clustered around five key areas. The first area requires government support for training and education to increase intercultural understanding. We need a national strategy to enhance cultural, racial, and religious tolerance and awareness. Anti-racism and anti-oppression training should be required across all sectors of government, especially for judges, lawyers, and law enforcement officials.

Given the pivotal role education plays in socializing children and young adults, the federal government should collaborate with the provinces to ensure that this training is mandatory for all teachers, including college and university professors. The federal government should also provide funding for provinces and territories to revise school curricula and include education on Canada's colonial history, the value of diversity, and cultural inclusivity.

In the second area, we recommend establishing programs to facilitate integration and reduce segregation. This means funding local non-profit organizations and government agencies that are working on a range of anti-discrimination initiatives, especially groups combatting racism and Islamophobia. In addition, the federal government should establish a mechanism by which every recipient of federal funding, regardless of the purpose of that funding, measures and reports back on how their work with the federal funds advances intercultural understanding and combats systemic discrimination.

[Narges Samimi]

A third area of consideration is the improvement of labour market access to boost national economic achievement. This set of recommendations speaks to strengthening the Canadian economy by effectively utilizing the rich and diverse talent of Canada's multicultural population.

Government should develop a national strategy for labour market integration that acknowledges the economic inequities and systemic barriers experienced by immigrants, visible minorities, and first nations. Government needs to work with the provinces to amend their employment standards acts to ensure that employees can observe religious holidays, prayer times, and traditional dress without fear of employer reprisal.

We need a federal task force to assess the compatibility of education and credentials from outside of Canada, and we need to speed up the creation of more equitable credential pathways for skilled newcomers. Provincial professional registration practices need to be transparent, objective, impartial, and fair. That may mean helping to establish fairness commissioners in each province, like those already in place in Ontario and Manitoba.

The fourth area recommends fostering institutional participation and leadership. We need to provide support for programs to connect and to promote the participation of first nations and other minorities in paid and unpaid leadership positions. Minorities, especially women of colour, need focused support to overcome systemic barriers and to become leaders and role models across all levels of government and broader society.

The last area includes a suggestion for strengthening the legal response to discrimination. Governments should strengthen laws against hate speech and crimes by providing a much more inclusive and clear definition of hate crime and Islamophobia. We also recommend providing new funding for accessible support and programs for individuals who have experienced the harmful impacts of race- and religious-based forms of discrimination. In addition to preventing or minimizing intergenerational harms, these programs should aim to promote personal empowerment and integration through civic engagement.

[Serah Gazali]

Finally, we cannot establish justice while celebrating a legacy of colonialism and the abuse of human rights. Therefore, we must consider the issue of symbols and names that celebrate violence, genocide, and colonialism. We need more honest dialogue about these symbols, and we need to explore productive strategies that help build a collective future based on the spirit of truth and reconciliation.

With global and national racial and religious tension on the rise, your committee has a special responsibility to take immediate action on these recommendations. Together, we have a unique opportunity to built an authentically inclusive vision of Canada where all individuals and their diverse contributions are truly recognized and valued.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

My goodness, that's beautiful.

Normally we have people going to 10 minutes, but thank you very much.

I want the committee to know that Mr. Singh will not be on video conferencing either. Apparently he was just in a car accident, so let us hope that he is okay and that he has a speedy recovery, whatever happened to him.

As a result, we will only have this one group of witnesses today, and that means we're going to have two rounds for this hour.

Now we begin what is known as a question-and-answer period. The first round is seven minutes, and the questioner and you have seven minutes—not each, but seven minutes for both of you—so try to be as concise as you can in your answers and in your questions.

We will begin now with a question from Ms. Anju Dhillon from the Liberals.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Good afternoon, and welcome to the committee. Thank you for taking your time to come and testify before us.

Could you talk to all of us a little bit more about discrimination in the workplace? You mentioned employment, and that seems to be a big part of your presentation. Could talk more in detail about that, please?

[Narges Samimi]

First of all, it's a really good question.

I was one of those employees who went through that systemic discrimination in the workplace. I was wearing the hijab before, and one day my manager came to me and said, “Narges, if you want to have this job, you need to give up something.” I wasn't sure what she was talking about. She said she meant my hijab, that I couldn't have my hijab there because of the place where I worked. She said she didn't want me to change my religion, but she didn't want me to have a scarf on my head there.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Did you ask why?

[Narges Samimi]

I was shocked. I told her that she didn't have the right to tell me what to do or wear. I should have the freedom to choose what I should wear, and I left that workplace. I applied to other jobs, and they didn't hire me because of what I was wearing. Unfortunately, I had to give up something, as you can see now.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

I'm very sorry to hear that. Nobody should have to go through what you went through, ever, and we have established this part of the committee. We want to know how we can get rid of systemic discrimination.

Did you ever complain to the provincial human rights tribunal?

[Narges Samimi]

I never did that.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

May I ask why? Is it you weren't aware, or...?

[Narges Samimi]

At that time I didn't do that, but now I'm taking part in addressing that issue. I wasn't at an age that I could stand up for my rights, but now I realize that if I don't, no one else will.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Exactly. That's why I'm asking you this, because I think a lot of people don't end up stepping forward, so there might be many more instances of systemic racism, especially in the workplace, where people don't get hired because of the way they look, and this is never, ever right. That's why I'm asking if you went or if you were not aware that you could do that.

Does your organization help people figure out what to do if they ever face such discrimination?

[Narges Samimi]

The organization is helping not only Muslims; it is helping most of the people who have different faiths and different religions, but I haven't taken the step to sue that company.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Okay.

Ms. Gazali, do you have something to add regarding employment and discrimination?

[Serah Gazali]

I work with an immigration organization, and I'm also part of a very diverse community. I'm very connected with the Arabic-speaking community and with the Spanish-speaking community because of my previous position.

To perhaps touch on why Narges was not able to deal with that issue at the time, I don't think everybody is aware of their rights. They likely know it is wrong, but they don't know where to go or how to address it. I think many feel that it's a huge hassle for them to try to prove that the other person said what they said, because it's his word against their word, and who is going to be believed?

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Have you ever helped those who have gone before the tribunal and faced an issue when they were not believed? Is there a statistic you have?

[Serah Gazali]

No, I don't work with the human rights commission. I'm not aware of that.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Okay.

Do the immigrants who come to you for help ever have trouble finding jobs?

[Serah Gazali]

Yes, definitely. It's not only people with limited skills or limited language. Some people are engineers and speak English fluently, but they still have issues joining the labour market.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

What would you like us to do as a federal government to rectify this situation?

[Serah Gazali]

We mentioned so many things in the recommendations. One of them is to deal with the credentials and to come up with a national policy whereby each province has clear, fair standards.