Province outlines roadmap to tackle racism

“This action plan serves as a road map for our province to confront and take steps to eliminate racism to ensure Alberta is a free, fair and prosperous place for everyone.”

The plan’s actions build on recommendations from the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council and feedback from community groups across the province that are addressing racism.

Associate Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism, Muhammad Yaseen said, “I want to thank the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council and community groups who provided advice for their ongoing commitment to combat racism.”

“Racialized and Indigenous individuals, like all Albertans, are important to our province’s prosperity, and through these actions, we can work together to help empower them and celebrate their accomplishments,” Yaseen stated.

The actions in the plan are grouped under five themes, which highlight broad areas where the government plans to make progress toward building a more equitable and inclusive society.

The theme are: public education and cultural awareness; government as a catalyst for system improvements; empowering communities; responding to hate incidents and crime; and data management and measurement.

The Alberta government will continue to receive input from the Anti-Racism Advisory Council and work with racialized and Indigenous communities to better understand systemic challenges and how they can be addressed going forward.

More on Alberta’s Anti-Racism Action Plan is available through the Government of Alberta website.

NDP Critic for Multiculturalism Jasvir Deol issued the following statement in response:

“After taking time to review the UCP’s incoherent “road map for combating racism,” I am deeply disappointed that the government that sat on the recommendations of the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council for a year and a half has failed to deliver a comprehensive plan to address racism.

“The document presented by the UCP appears to be rushed with programs that have not been thought through critically. The UCP has not carefully or mindfully consulted with community members on the actions that would improve the lives of racialized Albertans.

“After blocking the passage of MLA David Shepherd’s Anti-Racism Act, their commitments on race-based data collection cites commissioning a report over the next three years, and their opposition to creating an anti-racism advisory panel to conduct consultations and creating a report for Alberta’s police act review. That is just not good enough.

“Alberta’s NDP has presented a clear plan on how to continue the critical work of anti-racism, including appointing an actual Anti-Racism Commissioner. We introduced real legislation that the UCP blocked. An Alberta NDP government will establish an Anti-Racism Office to promote equitable access to public services and partnerships with government, and outline a requirement for all public bodies to collect race-based data and facilitate – through data standards and impact assessments – reporting on key outcomes and performance indicators on equity.

“This inadequate response days after the UCP’s appointment of Collin May to chair the Alberta Human Rights Commission despite their publishing of explicitly racist and Islamophobic views, for which they have not apologized. Minister Tyler Shandro must remove Collin May from the commission immediately.

“The UCP’s continued ignoring of the immense demand and calls from parents, teachers, school boards, and community leaders to halt their fierce implementation of the K-6 curriculum in schools display their reluctance to learn from the recommendations of the Alberta Anti-Racism Advisory Council.

“It is our duty as government to access all the tools we have to ensure we are representing all Albertans properly.”

by Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Province outlines roadmap to tackle racism

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