Racism divides communities, breeds fear and fuels animosity. Addressing racism and discrimination is a longstanding commitment of Canadians who see our country’s diversity as a source of strength. Canada is strong, not in spite of our differences, but because of them. Unfortunately, Canada is not immune to racism and discrimination — challenges remain when it comes to fully embracing diversity, openness and cooperation.
It is vital that Canada stands up to discrimination perpetrated against any individual or group of people on the basis of their religion and/or ethnicity and this is why the Government of Canada has committed to engage the public on a new federal anti-racism strategy. We are exploring racism as it relates to employment and income supports, social participation (for example, access to arts, sport and leisure) and justice.
Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019–2022 is a $45 million investment that will take immediate steps in combatting racism and discrimination based on what was heard during the engagement process and supported by research. The Strategy will complement existing government efforts and programs aimed at eliminating inequities by focusing on three guiding principles: Demonstrating Federal Leadership, Empowering Communities, and Building Awareness & Changing Attitudes.
The premise of this would be laughable, if it weren’t meant to be taken seriously. Canada is strong, not in spite of our difference, but because of them? How is having nothing in common with your neighbours a source of strength? What exactly binds communities together if not their commonalities?
If diversity really is our strength, then why does this continuous racism exist? Doesn’t everyone celebrate that being divided makes us united?
More than just words, the Federal Government (or rather, taxpayers), have been spending huge sums of money for this delusion for years. Below is just a sample of the money spend on this.
Note: some of the grants predate that program, but are worth sharing anyway. If nothing else, this stupidity needs to be exposed.
ORGANIZATION | DATE | AMOUNT |
---|---|---|
519 Church Street Community Centre | Nov. 9, 2020 | $300,000 |
Aboriginal Legal Services Inc. | Apr. 1, 2020 | $290,000 |
Aboriginal Peoples Alliance Of Northern Ontario | Sep. 1, 2021 | $512,600 |
ACCT Foundation | Apr. 15, 2020 | $309,000 |
Action Dignity Society | Sep. 1, 2021 | $245,675 |
Action For Healthy Communities Society Of Alberta | Sep. 1, 2021 | $233,430 |
Actions Interculturelles De Developpement Et D’Education | Sep. 1, 2020 | $200,000 |
Algoma University | Sep. 1, 2021 | $262,500 |
Association Of Ontario Midwives | Sep. 1, 2021 | $224,936 |
Bilal Community And Family Centre | Apr. 1, 2020 | $212,000 |
Black Legal Action Centre | Feb. 1, 2020 | $336,577 |
Black Students’ Mental Health Project | Sep. 1, 2021 | $226,798 |
Bureau De La Communaute Haitienne De Montreal | Sep. 1, 2021 | $400,000 |
Canadian Anti-Hate Network | Jun. 1, 2020 | $268,400 |
Canadian Council Of Muslim Women | Oct. 1, 2020 | $316,700 |
Canadian Freestyle Ski Association | Apr. 1, 2021 | $1,010,295 |
Canadian Sport Institute Ontario | Apr. 1, 2021 | $1,247,877 |
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Society | Apr. 1, 2021 | $1,721,743 |
Catholic Centre For Immigrants (Ottawa) | Apr. 1, 2020 | $380,578 |
CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals | May 1, 2020 | $279,500 |
Centre D’Amitie Autochtone De Val D’Or Inc. | Oct. 1, 2021 | $416,400 |
Centre Des Femmes Afghanes | Sep. 1, 2021 | $203,702 |
Centre for Race and Culture | Apr. 1, 2010 | $497,663 |
Centre Multiculturel de Ressources de LaSalle | Oct. 18, 2021 | $425,000 |
Children’s Peace Theatre | Sep. 1, 2021 | $250,000 |
Chinese Canadian National Council | Sep. 1, 2021 | $240,000 |
Coaching Association Of Canada | Apr. 1, 2021 | $308,000 |
Coalition Of Muslim Women of KW | Jul. 1, 2020 | $285,000 |
Council For The Advancement Of African Canadians In Alberta | Sep. 1, 2021 | $221,500 |
Corporation Wapikoni Mobile | Sep. 1, 2021 | $587,313 |
Culturelink Settlement And Community Services | Oct. 1, 2021 | $227,636 |
Durhamn Regional Unemployed Help | Sep. 1, 2021 | $225,801 |
Edmonton Centre For Race And Culture | Sep. 1, 2021 | $222,020 |
Equipe R.D.P. | Sep. 1, 2021 | $340,000 |
Equitas – Centre International d’Education Aux Driots Humains | Sep. 1, 2020 | $490,000 |
Family Services of Peel | Feb. 15, 2021 | $324,200 |
Federation Des Chambres De Commerce Du Quebec | Sep. 1, 2020 | $200,000 |
Federation of Black Canadians | Sep. 1, 2020 | $263,300 |
Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak | Oct. 1, 2021 | $659,201 |
First Light St. John’s Friendship Centre Inc. | Jun. 1, 2021 | $362,900 |
First Light St. John’s Friendship Centre Inc. | Sep. 1, 2021 | $253,940 |
Georgian bay Native Friendship Centre Inc. | Sep. 21, 2021 | $416,000 |
Grand Council Treaty #3 | Sep. 1, 2021 | $346,700 |
Institut National Du Sport Du Quebec | Apr. 1, 2021 | $1,522,301 |
Institut De Recherce Et D’Eucation Sur Les Relations Racials | Aug. 3, 2020 | $225,000 |
Integration Jeunesse Du Quebec | Sep. 1, 2020 | $281,742 |
Jane/Finch Community And Family Centre | Aug. 1, 2021 | $216,879 |
Jewish Family Services of Ottawa | Aug. 10, 2009 | $632,273 |
Jewish Family Services of Ottawa | Dec. 23, 2009 | $693,415 |
Jewish Family Services of Ottawa-Carleton | May 13, 2010 | $1,263,495 |
John Howard Society of Ontario | Oct. 1, 2021 | $433,225 |
Justice For Girls Outreach Program | Aug. 4, 2020 | $206,970 |
Legal Aid Ontario | Sep. 1, 2020 | $285,000 |
Lift Community Services Of Qathet | Sep. 1, 2020 | $222,000 |
Maison D’Haiti | Sep. 1, 2021 | $279,810 |
Makeway Charitable Society | Sep. 1, 2021 | $228,833 |
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. | Aug. 1, 2021 | $500,000 |
Matawa First Nations Management | Sep. 7, 2021 | $355,208 |
Metro Toronto Chinese & East Asian Legal Clinic | Apr. 1, 2020 | $301,904 |
Metro Toronto Chinese & East Asian Legal Clinic | Sep. 1, 2021 | $286,910 |
Midaynta Community Services | Oct. 1, 2021 | $275,000 |
MOSAIC – Multilingual Orientation Service Association For Immigrant Communities | Sep. 1, 2021 | $213,250 |
Muslim Association Of Canada | Sep. 1, 2021 | $349,210 |
National Anti-Racism Council of Canada | Mar. 28, 2008 | $211,205 |
National Anti-Racism Council of Canada | Aug. 28, 2008 | $430,213 |
Nigerian Canadians For Cultural, Educational And Economic Progress | Oct. 1, 2021 | $219,420 |
Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corp. | Apr. 1, 2020 | $376,788 |
Northern Alberta Alliance on Race Relations | Sep. 1, 2009 | $497,161 |
Northern Nishnwabe Education Council | Sep. 1, 2021 | $250,000 |
North Shore Multicultural Society | Aug. 1, 2021 | $247,653 |
Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre | May 3, 2019 | $250,000 |
Nova Scotia Department Of Justice | Oct. 1, 2020 | $200,000 |
Nunatsiavut Government | Sep. 1, 2021 | $352,660 |
Ontario Federation Of Indigenous Friendship Centres | Apr. 1, 2020 | $284,050 |
Parry Sound Friendship Centre | Sep. 1, 2021 | $225,000 |
Q’Wemtsin Health Society | Jul. 1, 2021 | $333,865 |
Reach Edmonton Council | Oct. 1, 2020 | $255,000 |
Regent Park Community Health Centre | Sep. 1, 2021 | $275,823 |
Regional Connections Inc. | Sep. 1, 2021 | $254,704 |
Return The Love Community Support | Sep. 1, 2021 | $200,000 |
Riel Institute For Education And Learning | Aug. 30, 2021 | $236,095 |
Riverdale Immigrant Women’s Centre | Sep. 8, 2021 | $288,387 |
Ryerson University | Sep. 1, 2020 | $250,000 |
Sentencing And Parole Project | Nov. 1, 2021 | $300,000 |
Service D’Orientation Et D’Integration Des Immigrants Au Travail De Quebec | Sep. 1, 2020 | $280,000 |
Social Planning Council Of Winnipeg | Apr. 1, 2020 | $266,100 |
Sommet Socio-Economique Pour Le Developpement Des Jeunes Des Communautres Noires | Mar. 1, 2020 | $251,090 |
Table De Concertation Des Organismes Au Service Des Personnes Refugiees Et Immigrantes Inc. | Sep. 1, 2021 | $375,000 |
Taibu Community Health Centre | Apr. 1, 2020 | $460,238 |
Town Of Strathmore | Apr. 1, 2020 | $260,000 |
Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service | May 1, 2020 | $215,000 |
Umoja Community Mosaic | Sep. 1, 2021 | $288,800 |
United Jewish Appeal Of Greater Toronto | Sep. 1, 2021 | $340,000 |
Urban Alliance On Race Relations | Jul. 21, 2021 | $235,800 |
Urban Rez Solutions Social Enterprise | Aug. 1, 2019 | $430,000 |
Vieux Theatre De St.-Fabien (LE) | Apr. 1, 2021 | $1,900,140 |
Women’s Health In Women’s Hands | Sep. 1, 2020 | $340,000 |
YMCA Of Windsor-Essex County | Jan. 29, 2008 | $203,002 |
ZMQ Global | Sep. 1, 2021 | $287,840 |
It must be stated that the connection between many of these grants and “fighting racism” is far from clear. For a lot of these, it looks like just a way to funnel money in a manner that couldn’t otherwise be done. Do we really have to pay for people to go skiing, just to prove we’re not racists? The actual search results in 600 hits, so it’s not practical to cover them all. These are just the bigger ones listed.
An interesting observation: considering all that white privilege that exists in the West, it seems that whites are about the only group that hasn’t qualified for it’s own specific funding.
15(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
Of course, equality under Section 15 of the Charter doesn’t seem to mean much. The second part of it specifically allows discrimination as long as it’s done to help “disadvantaged groups”. Thank you very much, Pierre Trudeau.
Ever wonder why some problems continue to get worse? Trudeau Jr. has substantially increased the funding of his predecessor, Stephen Harper.
(1) https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/anti-racism-engagement.html
(2) https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/anti-racism-action-program/application-guidelines.html
(3) https://search.open.canada.ca/en/gc/?sort=agreement_value_fs%20desc&page=2&search_text=anti-racism
(4) https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/download-order-charter-bill/canadian-charter-rights-freedoms-eng.pdf