Advocacy groups and the Red Coalition petition the Minister of Public Safety Canada, requesting the enactment of a legislation to prohibit racial profiling by law enforcement

MONTREAL, July 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Red Coalition alongside their strategic partners and local provincial advocacy groups; North South Development Roots & Culture Canada and the United Black Caucus are pleased to announce that they have received full support and endorsement from the offices of NDP MP, Matthew Green and Liberal MP, Greg Fergus, in their fight to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination.
The Red Coalition is a group of like-minded people from all walks of life, shapes, colors, and sizes; fighting for one common goal, which is to eliminate the practice of racial profiling and systemic racism within Canada, while raising clarity and awareness to the mental health issues and public health problems it is causing amongst its citizens.
Join the cause here: https://redcoalition.ca/jointhecause
What are we doing to create change?
We are asking the Minister of Public Safety Canada through e-petition, to enact a legislation to prohibit racial profiling by law enforcement. Further to a declared prohibition, the proposed legislation would require a law enforcement agency to confirm that it has established and maintained adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling, in order-to qualify for funding under any transfer payment program held by the Minister of Public Safety.
The e-petition has been open for signature since May 28th, 2021 and closes on August 26th, 2021. The group must obtain 500 signatures before the e-petition closes, in-order for the petition to be considered for legislation.
To view and sign the petition please visit: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3349
NDP MP, Matthew Green comments:
“I want to express my full support and solidarity with the Red Coalition and all those who are working to eradicate racial profiling, discrimination, and systemic racism in Canada. This country is experiencing a long overdue reckoning of the way it has treated Indigenous, Black, and other historically excluded groups. It is critical that the federal government take meaningful action to dismantle white supremacy and systemic discrimination from all its institutions in-order-to begin reconciliation with affected groups and to work towards greater equality in Canada. I will always be here to work with community leaders to hold governments accountable for their actions and bring about real change.”

Petition to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

• The practice of racial profiling by law enforcement seriously threatens the equal rights, democracy, and justice for all Canadians.
• The Supreme Court has acknowledged that systemic racial profiling is a “day-to-day reality” for Black and Indigenous Canadians.
• In 2017, a UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent found that racial profiling is “endemic” in Canadian law enforcement and urged this country to immediately discontinue this practice in all-of its forms.
• While some provinces have passed regulations and moratoriums prohibiting these practices, pretextual pedestrian “street checks” and “stops” of Black motorists (aka “driving while black”) persist.
• There is a clear link between public confidence in policing and public safety, the erosion of police legitimacy has profound consequences for our justice system, the cost effectiveness of police services and billions of taxpayers’ dollars paid annually.
• To date, there has been no concrete meaningful action from governments to effect systemic changes in policing to eliminate the practice of racial profiling.
• Canada has the constitutional power to legislate in respect to “peace, order and good government.”

What is racial profiling and how can it affect you?
“Any action taken by one or more people in authority with respect to a person or group of persons, for reasons of safety, security or public order, that is based on actual or presumed membership in a group defined by race, color, ethnic or national origin or religion. Taken without factual grounds or reasonable suspicion, these actions can result in the person or group being exposed to differential treatment.”
https://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/lexicon#racial-profiling
“The impact of racial profiling on visible minorities is so profound and deep, that each time we embark into our vehicle we anticipate and visualize the impending interception.”
“Racial profiling can make you feel anxious, nervous, emotional, humiliated, ashamed, embarrassed, vulnerable, inadequate, judged, angry, not-worthy, unstable, and uneasy. The subconscious feeling of unworthiness combined with all-of these emotions are real and are perpetrated by those in the position of authority who seek to judge you solely on the color of your skin, your religion, your ethnicity, your gender, by the vehicle you choose to drive and by the city you choose to live in. The impact of racial profiling on visible minorities is so profound and deep, that each time we embark into our vehicle we anticipate and visualize the impending interception.” –Joel DeBellefeuille, Founder, Red Coalition

Trust in law enforcement
As trust in law enforcement is often defined as the extent to which members of the public view the police’s actions as legitimate. If the police lose public confidence, it can compromise their ability and authority to work effectively. While those who claim to have been the victim of this practice, experience an attack on their rights as human beings, the police argue that “it is normal to pay more attention to certain segments of the population” for the greater good of the community. Quoting Senator Murray Sinclair “Systemic racism is when the system itself is based upon and founded upon racist beliefs and philosophies and thinking and has put in place policies and practices that literally force even the non-racists to act in a racist way.”
Constitutional Power
Canada has the constitutional power through federalism, to legislate in respect to the criminal law doctrine contained in its “peace, order and good government” powers. Apart from this centralizing force in Canadian policing, federalism also generates a complex set of federal/provincial/municipal dynamics in the mandate, funding, and governance of the police. For instance, Public Safety Canada coordinates leadership and funding to help address the ongoing challenges of police services within Canada. One of the responsibilities of Public Safety Canada is to coordinate leadership and funding to help address the ongoing challenges of police services within Canada. In 2017, as part of its commitment to make it harder for criminals to get and use handguns and assault weapons and to reduce gun and gang violence, the Government of Canada announced up to $327.6 million over five years and $100 million annually thereafter, in new funding to help support a variety of initiatives to reduce gun crime and criminal gang activities. The Federal Budget 2021 now proposes to provide $312 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $41.4 million ongoing, to implement legislation to help protect Canadians from gun violence and to fight gun smuggling and trafficking. Funding will support the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canada Border Services Agency, and Public Safety Canada, and builds on investments made in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. These measures will fight gun crime in our communities and keep Canadians safe.
Claiming that this situation “must change” and in support of the work to address systemic racism in Public Safety Institutions, the 2021 Federal Budget proposes to provide $75 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $13.5 million ongoing, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to take-action, with steps to combat systemic racism. The RCMP is expected to spend these funds towards reforming recruitment and training processes; the collection, analysis, and reporting of race-based data; more rapidly evaluating the impact of policing activities on certain communities; and improving community engagement and consultation with Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities. Yet, there is not a single dollar earmarked to combat racial profiling, nor does the budget mention anything regarding any legislative amendment plan towards eliminating racial profiling by law enforcement.
Unfortunate Truths
While the federal government is making major investments to tackle the scourge of gun crime and violence by bringing all levels of government and policing partners together to confront this problem, Red Coalition believes that at the same time the practice of racial profiling seriously threatens equal rights, democracy, and justice for all Canadians. History has shown that legal doctrines and remedial instruments available to courts to address accountability for police activities are limited. Judges can quash decisions, strike out evidence and award damages, but it is unlikely that any of these remedial options will modify police conduct or produce systemic solutions.
If the Federal Government recognizes that “all people in Canada should be treated fairly by our public safety agencies”, it must also acknowledge that systemic racism exists in this country, and that Black and Indigenous people continue to be overrepresented in our criminal justice system.
About the Red Coalition
The Red Coalition is a group of like-minded people from all walks of life, shapes, colors, and sizes; fighting for one common goal, which is to eliminate the practice of racial profiling and systemic racism within Canada, while raising clarity and awareness to the mental health issues and public health problems it is causing amongst its citizens.
For more information visit: www.redcoalition.ca
Contacts:
For media inquiries: info@redcoalition.ca
Join the Cause: https://redcoalition.ca/jointhecause
Rubin Coward, Advocate
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubin-coward-cd-84a07926/?originalSubdomain=ca
United Black Caucus PAC
J.R.D Kwilu
E. ubcpac.can@gmail.com
Tel. 204.930.8595
W. https://pacubc.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ubcpac

Joel DeBellefeuille, Founder, Red Coalition
E. joel@marianna.ca
Tel. 514-434-2640
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeldebellefeuille/?originalSubdomain=ca
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dealmaker001
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DealmakerJoel
To learn more about our founder visit: https://joeldebellefeuille.com