I thought I was. I'm sorry about that.
I want to thank the chair and the committee for giving us this opportunity.
Further to what Roderick shared, we want to include the reality of the nooses, for instance, that were found on construction sites in the GTA last year, and of blackface, which seems to resurface from time to time in the news. They're both synonymous with the egregious practice of lynching and of racism itself and they also represent horrid and indisputable reflections of the past.
It's a past that Canada still has not yet fully accounted for with respect to the reality that slavery as we knew it did exist on this side of the border and is still in denial in many people's minds, and it still, to a greater extent, does exist in the criminal justice system and the education sectors, so much so that as we identify symbols of hate, we have to give consideration to symbols that are supposed to represent positivity, such as police cars, which for many African Canadians represent a threat that's not too different from what their ancestors experienced when members of the KKK appeared in uniform.
Symbols of hate are also a matter of interpretation, based on the adverse experiences of the beholder of the symbols, whether direct, indirect or inherited.
We are currently in what I refer to as the “George Floyd window” in North America, which, as we know, has brought to light awarenesses that we hope will move us forward with respect to race relations. Canada has the opportunity to lead in this area globally, but it will take a cohesive effort to do so, one that includes measurable strategies, programs and outcomes.
The work we do is intentionally disruptive and takes into account all that I have mentioned.
The reason we recognize the swastika as a hate symbol in the eyes of our Jewish brothers, sisters and others, is that we associate it with the experiences that are associated with the symbol itself. Blackface, nooses and many other symbols are rightly associated as hate symbols and images, but what of police symbols? If we were to ask survivors of the civil rights movement what police symbols mean to them, would they not recognize the similarity to and sentiments with those of our Jewish brothers and sisters?
Thank you.