Saturday, September 19, 2009

Quebec Human Rights Commission begins public consultation on racial profiling

This week, the Quebec Human Rights Commission commenced a public consultation on racial profiling. The aim of the consultation is to spark an open dialogue concerning the realities of the systemic problem, specifically among youth aged 14-25 that live in an urban setting. The consultation will seek to inform institutions of the presence of racial profiling, and also to create and implement solutions. The ultimate goal of the Commission is to “…inform and educate the majority, as well as recommending and facilitating the implementation of corrective measures.”

The Commission’s commitments to the public consultation are as follows:

a. The commission will speak openly and constructively about racism with organizations and institutions
b. The Commission will give victims of racial profiling an opportunity to be heard
c. The Commission will give public institutions and community organizations an opportunity to be heard and propose their solutions
d. The commission is committed to continuing its fight against racial profiling.

The consultation process has already begun and will proceed in three phases. Phase 1 will take place in the fall and winter of 2009, and will collect submissions from youth about their racial profiling experiences. Phase 2 will consist of public hearings aimed at developing solutions, as well as the publication of a consultation document developed from the public input. By the end of 2010, Phase 3 will be completed and the Commission will publish its final report with recommendations.

A similar undertaking was conducted by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Following the public consultation, the Commission released its report Paying The Price: The Human Cost of Racial Profiling.

Posted by Ashley Paterson (Law II)

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