Mr. Chair, the terrible acts of violence against black persons in the United States have brought racism to the forefront in Canada, yet racism has been systemic and insidious here for generations, not as openly violent as in America, but here in our institutions, workplaces, schools and society.
Over the last 30 years, Canada has enacted progressive legislation to protect minorities, with the charter, employment equity and anti-hate laws. However, statistics show that indigenous peoples still have the highest rates of suicide, the poorest health outcomes and the most incarcerations, that visible minorities, despite education, are underemployed and underpaid, and that many black men are carded and suspected of criminality regularly.
Crisis brings anger and fear. It cracks the thin veneer of tolerance in quiet, polite times. COVID-19 exposed anti-Chinese hate and amplified the reality of black and indigenous lives. We are all shaken and empathetic, but our denial and ignorance can no longer stand. We must listen and act, collect disaggregated data and set goals with policies and programs to achieve them.
To build a strong, peaceful, prosperous nation, everyone must belong, and everyone must build it together.