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Report says Montreal needs to recognize ‘systemic racism’ and take action against it

Jun 15, 2020 | 8:55 AM

MONTREAL — A report published today says the City of Montreal has neglected the fight against racism and failed to recognize the systemic nature of discrimination.

The 261-page document follows a public consultation involving more than 7,000 people and concludes that the city has trouble translating words into action.

Montreal’s public consultation office makes 38 recommendations, starting with a recognition of the systemic nature of racism and discrimination against racialized groups and Indigenous people.

The office’s president, Dominique Ollivier, says in a letter to Mayor Valerie Plante accompanying the report that the failure to recognize the problem has left the city without the necessary tools to genuinely tackle it.

The report recommends that city council quickly create a new position of Commissioner to Counter Racism and Discrimination, who will draw up an action plan to fight racism.

It also recommends that the city and its boroughs produce data every three years detailing variances between racialized, Indigenous and white people in such sectors as employment, racial profiling, housing and economic development.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2020.

The Canadian Press