Mr. Chair, I'm a brown-skinned Muslim refugee, but any of the barriers I have faced pale in comparison to those faced by black people. These last two weeks have laid bare for all of us the devastating impact of discrimination on the black community. This is not just an American problem.
The very same week of George Floyd's murder, my constituent Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black woman, died in the presence of police, a death that has galvanized the streets of Toronto. Since that day, repeated incidents of mistreatment of racialized and indigenous persons at the hands of Canadian police have surfaced.
For persons of colour, interacting with law enforcement in this country is often frightening and too often lethal. That's an unacceptable state of affairs that we must change. Change starts with the words we use, so let me be very clear. Racism exists in Canada, systemic racism is real, anti-black racism is pernicious and black lives matter.
Change also means acting quickly to reform our justice and corrections systems and be better allies.
I commit to redoubling my efforts to combat racism and I ask that all of us in this chamber to do the same. George, Regis and all people of colour deserve no less.