Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Racism affects all our institutions and has a real impact on the lives of racialized Canadians every day. Indigenous and black communities are vastly overrepresented in our jail; 25% of those in federal prisons are indigenous men and women, and 36% of those in federal prisons for women are indigenous. Other vital statistics illustrate the deep historical impact of government policies toward our first nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.
This year, we saw racism manifest in its deadliest form with a shooting in Sainte-Foy, Quebec. Reported cases of Islamophobia have more than doubled in the past three years alone. We see mosques and synagogues vandalized. We see girls and boys, women and men targeted for just being who they are.
On this day, we need to reflect on these startling facts and resolve to fight racism in all its vilest forms, right in Canada and around the world.