Injustice in Canada

The murder of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis has thrown a new spotlight on the ugly truth about the systems underlying both the United States and Canada. We live in an inherently racist system, one that discriminates heavily against Black and Indigenous people, while allowing White people to live with privilege.

An overwhelming amount of information has come out in recent weeks. It can be difficult to understand the issues at hand. As a White man, I realize that I have been living life completely ignorant of the struggle that other people may face, every day of their lives. I have a privilege that is invisible to me, and what I have learned in the past weeks is what that means.

I will never understand what it feels like to be Black or Indigenous in Canada. But I can educate myself on the issues faced. I can be aware of microaggressions and unconscious bias. I can learn how to be an ally, and an anti-racist person, helping to break the system and make change for the better.

Indigenous people make up 5% of the country’s population, but 30% of the prison population. Black people make up 8.3% of the prison population, despite making up just 3% of the country’s population. These statistics need to change.

No one should die at the hands of Police. No one should be born into a community without access to clean drinking water. Everyone should have the right to feel safe.

Please start reading about the issues Black and Indigenous people face. I have provided some resources to help get you started, as well as lists of Black and Indigenous businesses you can support, guides to Petitions you can sign, and charities you can donate to in trying to help right this injustice. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I hope it is enough to get you started.

Thank you.

Black Lives Matter, statistics, and further reading

https://blacklivesmatter.com/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/five-charts-that-show-what-systemic-racism-looks-like-in-canada-1.4970352

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/02/26/what-is-the-black-canadian-experience.html

https://www.obj.ca/article/op-ed-what-its-be-black-entrepreneur-ottawa

https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2020/06/9851684/black-lives-matter-how-to-help-donate-support

Indigenous Discrimination, Statistics, Further Reading

https://unchronicle.un.org/article/discrimination-aboriginals-native-lands-canada

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/paying-price-human-cost-racial-profiling/impact-racial-profiling-aboriginal-community

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-indigenous-people-face-racist-backlash-over-pipeline-protests/

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-07/canada-rail-blockade-protest-westsuweten