QUEEN’S PARK — NDP MPP for Kitchener Centre and Official Opposition Critic for Anti-Racism, Citizenship and Immigration Laura Mae Lindo released the following statement:
“This week, a Black family in Ottawa had racist epithets spray-painted on their home. At the same time, repeated incidents of racist bullying and violent assaults in a Toronto public school came to light. My heart is with the victims of these hateful attacks — I hope they’re surrounded by a loving community that gives them strength.
These two examples of hate are a painful but important reminder that anti-Black racism has been growing in Ontario. Anti-Black racism is a serious problem that puts the safety and belonging of Black Ontarians at risk, and community members, advocates and experts – including the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and Statistics Canada – have been sounding the alarm on this critical issue for years.
The NDP has long proposed an Anti-Racism Secretariat with a powerful mandate to tackle anti-Black racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Indigenous racism and all forms of discrimination. The previous Liberals instead had an Anti-Racism Directorate (ARD) with a less impactful mandate, and Doug Ford’s government quickly made things even worse by dismantling and de-funding the ARD.
Black Ontarians are facing a pronounced rise in racist incidents and hate crimes, with no plans for the government to stand up for them. Ontarians deserve a government that is committed to fighting anti-Black racism head on.”