Black Canadians constitute 1 million of the Canadian population. This number is projected to double by 2036. Despite this growth, Black communities across Canada continue to face unique challenges that hinder their full integration into the Canadian economy.

Poverty remains widespread in the Black community due to systemic racism and long-standing discrimination that have contributed to unequal economic conditions for generations.

But the future holds great opportunities. Today, we have a unique chance to unite and define our own path toward improved socio-economic conditions. We live in a world where influence and opportunity are increasingly tied to numbers — and our numbers are growing.

With this growth comes the power to claim our rightful share of Canada’s economic landscape. Black-owned enterprises and businesses are no longer a distant dream — they are becoming a powerful reality across the country.

If you believe in ACAO’s mission to uplift the Black community economically, we invite you to join us and be part of the change.

Anti-Black racism is a cancer in our society. Racism, and particularly anti-Black racism, is endemic in modern Canadian society and must be fought, conquered, and destroyed.

“As Mandela said: No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

This committee is committed to working with partners to kick racism out of our society. This includes advocating for policy reviews to address systemic racism.

This committee is also working to ensure Criminal Justice Reform becomes a reality. There are 70 percent more Black Canadians in federal prisons than there were 10 years ago.

What are we doing about it? There is an opportunity to join this committee as we work to address obvious systemic issues affecting the Black community. The hyper-incarceration of Black youth is troubling, and we cannot stay silent.

Key areas of focus include:

• Education – How do we hold the government accountable, and how are we holding ourselves accountable?
• Complaint mechanism and support network.
• Criminal justice system reforms.

We work to be in control of our own history because most of the time, what the media write about our experiences is often not true. So we have to promote our own story. We are not afraid to integrate discussions that concern us. We have the unique opportunity to change the game by writing our own story.

Join the ACAO Communications Committee to learn how we can better control our history.

We face many obstacles in the Canadian education system not because we are not intelligent. In fact, Statistics Canada data shows that at least 34% of racialized Canadians have at least one university degree, compared to 20% of non-racialized Canadians.

Why are our children not successful? That’s a million dollar question that requires a million dollars of answers. Unfortunately, we cannot give a complete answer to this question. Racism, discrimination, lack of cultural skills, lack of hope, lack of role models and socio-economic factors are barriers to our children’s education.

We have the opportunity to be engaged and to participate in the educational system, for example by integrating the school board of our community. Let’s be present at our children’s school. Let us show their teachers that we are interested in the education of our children and above all encourage them to study.

Let’s get together to change the educational system and promote a better future for ours. Let’s talk about the ACAO educational committee.

Poverty makes you sick. Mental health problems are increasing in our community. However, stigma and lack of resources will prevent us from asking for help most of the time.

Africans in the Caribbean and Black Canadians are four times more likely to catch diabetes, cataracts, and many other diseases. One in seven people living with HIV in Canada comes from the ACB community, while we make up only 3% of the population.

Research shows that we are suffering from the “Healthy Immigrant Effect.” This means that our health, which is higher than that of the average Canadian, begins to deteriorate five years after our arrival in Canada. This is due to several factors resulting from racism and discrimination.

Canada is recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent. It’s a key opportunity to address anti-Black racism in the justice system.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently gave a short but significant speech on Parliament Hill announcing that the Government of Canada is officially recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent. The decade, from 2015 to 2024, was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.

In his remarks, Trudeau recognized that chief among the issues affecting Black people in Canada is their overrepresentation in the corrections system. The Prime Minister stated:

“We know that the interaction between Black Canadians and the corrections system as a whole faces a host of challenges, from discrimination in policing, to overrepresentation in our prisons. The percentage of inmates in our prisons who are Black is 8.6 percent, despite Black Canadians accounting for only 3.5 percent of the general population.”

This speech and accompanying official statement are a welcome step forward. It marks an unprecedented official acknowledgement by a sitting Canadian Prime Minister of the pervasive impacts of anti-Black racism.

But beyond symbolic gestures, meaningful steps are required. Systemic anti-Black racism in Canadian policing and courts dates back to at least the 1980s. Since then, the overrepresentation of Black people in Canada’s prisons has dramatically increased.

For instance, between 2003 and 2013, the number of Black inmates in Canada’s federal prisons grew by nearly 90%, while the number of Caucasian inmates declined by 3%. More troublingly, reports show that harsh treatments like solitary confinement disproportionately affect Black inmates.

A Policy Program for the Decade

The UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent includes a program of activities guiding countries on eliminating anti-Black racism, particularly in justice systems. These measures include:

• Strengthening equality laws and human rights mechanisms.
• Addressing racial profiling and police discrimination.
• Exploring reparations for the historical and ongoing impacts of systemic racism.

Critically, Trudeau’s announcement lacked a clear action plan to implement these measures. The Government of Canada now has the opportunity to engage in an honest review of the UN’s recommendations and take corrective action.

Toward Real Criminal Justice Reform

In 2017, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent visited Canada and raised “serious concerns about systemic anti-Black racism in the criminal justice system.” Their recommendations must be implemented if Canada hopes to make real progress.

Key recommendations include establishing:

• An African-Canadian Justice Portfolio within the Department of Justice.
• A Crime Prevention and Community Safety Division focused on Black communities within Public Safety Canada.

A Distinct Policy Approach for a Distinct People

Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged that “people of African descent represent a distinct group” in Canada. As such, they deserve distinct, targeted policy solutions that go beyond symbolic gestures.

Black Canadians deserve justice — not incremental improvements, but a system that truly delivers fairness, dignity, and equality.

“Addressing the challenges facing Black Canadians requires participation from all Canadians.”

— This article is adapted from Policy Options by Anthony Morgan.

Anti-Black racism is a cancer in our society. Racism, and particularly anti-Black racism, is endemic in modern Canadian society and must be fought, conquered, and destroyed.

“As Mandela said: No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

This committee is committed to working with partners to kick racism out of our society. This includes advocating for policy reviews to address systemic racism.

The committee is also working to ensure Criminal Justice Reform becomes a reality. There are 70% more Black Canadians in federal prisons than there were 10 years ago.

What are we doing about it? There is an opportunity to join this committee as we work to address the obvious systemic issues affecting the Black community. The hyper-incarceration of Black youth is troubling, and we cannot stay silent.

Our priorities include:

• Education — How do we hold the government accountable?
• Community responsibility — How are we holding ourselves accountable?
• Establishing complaint mechanisms and support networks.
• Criminal justice system reforms.