‘Seize the moment’: Anti-racism talks begin at city hall

More than 130 people share their experiences of racial injustice as Calgary’s Anti-Racism Committee grapples with ending systemic racism.

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Amid a worldwide movement decrying racism and police brutality, Calgary City Council began a lengthy hearing on the matter on Tuesday.

In meetings that are expected to last through Wednesday and possibly Thursday as well, a committee first heard from a panel of experts who are tasked with starting to identify local strategies to combat racism in the community. There were also dozens of submissions from members of the public, with over a hundred people expected to speak by the end of the meetings.

It also follows a petition that gathered thousands of signatures calling for a public debate on developing anti-racism strategies following mass protests that took place around the city last month.

The panel, chaired by Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra, gathered several local experts to offer various perspectives on the issue: Dr. Malinda Smith, Vice-Provost for equity, inclusion and diversity at the University of Calgary; Phil Fontaine, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations; Vicki Bouvier, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Calgary and member of the Metis community; Dr. Francis Boakye, Vice President for Strategy at the Centre for Newcomers; Teresa Woo-Paw, a former MLA and school trustee in Calgary; and Nyall DeBreo, a criminal justice lawyer in Calgary.

Each expert provided their own viewpoints on the issue and offered some initial thoughts on steps that can be taken. City administration also outlined prior policies and other ideas moving forward, such as establishing an anti-racism action committee and directing funds in anti-racism initiatives.

Dr. Smith said Canada and Alberta have a dark history when it comes to systemic racism, and while conversations and protests are a good starting point — it is time for more to be done.

“What I’m suggesting to you is part of our inability to understand the systemic nature of racism, the ways in which it was embedded in laws and practices,” she said. “We don’t actually know our own history of racial discrimination.”

From the point of view of Indigenous people, Bouvier and Fontaine talked about legislation such as the Indian Act and the racist policies enacted by past governments, which still have roots in our society today.

Overall, they said it has resulted in a situation where people are unaware of racism in the society due to ignorance in the education system and it can make it easier for people to dismiss the concerns of Black, Indigenous and other minority communities.

“People who are racialized and Indigenous are structured out of the system, that means we need to go deeply into policies and practices,” said Dr. Smith.

Fontaine added that one move Calgary councillors could make is to affirm that First Nations people were among the founders of Canada, as he rebuked Premier Jason Kenney for releasing a video on Canada Day only crediting the English and French for forming the nation. He would like to see such affirmation then made by the provincial and federal governments.

“To have our institutions reflect who we are as peoples. A simple proposition, it takes bold action to make it come about,” said Fontaine.

The issues around policing and increased rates of brutality against people of colour, along with over-representation in the criminal justice system, were also addressed by the speakers.

DeBreo detailed his own experiences as a lawyer and questioned how it can be possible for youth court to be full of people who are Black and Indigenous, as if white children do not commit crimes.

He said there is definitely an issue with the policies of police, and some methods that can be taken include establishing more civilian oversight bodies.

“When you’re apprehending someone, you’re punching them in the head or kneeing them with no cameras on them, it’s abhorrent. And it’s a shame we can’t rely on other police officers to speak out against it and deter it,” he said.

In policing indigenous communities, Fontaine said the RCMP requires more training and the minuscule amount of education provided around Indigenous people does not do enough to prepare them.

“What will prevail are your prejudices, your racist perspectives, your sense of dominance over the people you’re going to work with,” he said. “And that’s the biggest bloody problem we have in Canada.”

Boakye also went into detail around some health issues attributed to racism, as feeling constant stress due to discrimination can lower the life span of immigrants. Bouvier chimed in on the topic as well, adding that for Indigenous people it amounts to inter-generational trauma and needs to be confronted as a serious issue.

Woo-Paw brought up the fact that reports and consultations around systemic racism have been done in Alberta several times over the past decades, and even as far back as the 1970s, it was identified as a serious and persistent problem.

She added it is present in employment practices, and how she has felt like the lone Asian person in many professional circles and there is a lack of desire among executives to welcome in more people from diverse backgrounds.

Woo-Paw said there has clearly been enough discussion and consultation, and now is actually the time to do something about the problem and tackle it head-on.

Following expert presentations, submissions from the public were heard throughout the rest of the afternoon as speakers talked about various topics ranging from the actions of police, the pervasiveness of systemic racism through society, and the roles that anyone can play in mitigating the situation.

One speaker, a deaf Black woman, added that the city had failed her in her request to have a Black sign language interpreter help present her submission.

Several young women were also heard from during the submissions, talking about how they feel the police do not protect their communities, they should be defunded, and that they do not want police officers in schools.

There was a feeling among the experts that this can be a serious turning point for the city, with the possibility it can spark wide-ranging changes.

“I believe that Calgary is positioned to seize the moment, and to carve a more just future,” said Dr. Smith. “And I think where Calgary goes, so too will Canada.”

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