Precisely. We're catching up with the technology.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm going to give my presentation in both languages, because we are in Quebec, but also in Canada, which has two official languages.
I'm the executive director of a small non-profit organization based in Montreal. We deal with race relations and have since the mid-1980s.
One of the areas we focus on is police-community relations, particularly police race relations. I'm very honoured to be asked to participate in the discussion dealing with systemic racism in policing. I would like to talk about it possibly in terms of law enforcement and public security in general, with some focus on the provincial but also the federal level as well.
Obviously, these days we have quite a lot of debate about the notion of systemic racism. I believe there's some kind of division as to whether it exists and what forms it takes. I'd like to stress right away that this notion is part of Canadian jurisprudence or case law. Several courts at different levels have recognized systemic racism.
I would just like to point out that, even in Quebec, our organization was behind one of the first decisions on systemic racism in Quebec in 2013, which dealt with racial discrimination in employment at the City of Montreal.
In addition, in Quebec, we have had court decisions on systemic gender-based discrimination and discrimination against women in employment. In 2010, there was the case of Gaz Métro. There is also the case of systemic discrimination based on disability, which is the subject of a class action in which our organization participates as a support organization, a class action that was certified by the Superior Court in 2017.
Therefore, we must acknowledge the premise that systemic discrimination exists, whether it is based on gender, disability or race.
It is difficult to say that it does not exist.
I want to mention right away that for those who deny systemic racism, which is now part of Canadian case law, it's just like denying climate change. It's a fact and it's a question of law, so let's move forward.
With regard to policing, I think one of the issues we have been involved in, particularly in the last 15 years, has been the area of racial profiling. We have cases before different courts. We help people file complaints with the human rights commission at the provincial level and with the police ethics commissioner at the provincial level as well. Some of the experiences we've had show us, I think, that there's a lot of action that legislators need to look at, all within the context of promoting access to justice for ordinary people who feel that they have been discriminated against and profiled by law enforcement officers.
As well, in terms of access to justice, there's a need to ensure that there is effective protection in the human rights system and in the police complaints system, the police ethics system, so that the system really works for people who feel their rights have been violated.
The third part we have to address is with regard to Jordan's principle. Excessive delay in the system, whether in dealing with human rights at any level or with the justice system at any level whatsoever, compromises the notion of effective protection. This is, by the way, a notion that is enshrined in many international instruments on human rights.
I'd like to raise the issue of bringing about systemic changes at the federal level so that we can find ways to ensure that people have access to justice and effective protection in dealing with federal law enforcement and public security.
Thank you very much.
We are ready to answer your questions.