NationTalk: Toronto, ON The Chiefs of Ontario’s Justice Sector is proud to launch the newly developed Public Education and Awareness Campaign surrounding systemic racism.

The campaign is intended to raise awareness about lesser-known systemic issues, the policy decisions that lead to them, and solutions to dismantle and correct them. In pinpointing various precise policy choices that have led to these systemic issues, the Chiefs of Ontario are highlighting the importance of connecting apathetic bureaucratic choices and their real-world outcomes.

7 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW WERE SYSTEMIC RACISM

1. The forced evacuation of pregnant First Nations women from their communities
2. Disproportionate flooding in First Nations territories
3. Challenges getting loans
4. Barriers to First Nations access to cancer screenings
5. Inequitable access to voting during provincial and federal elections
6. Fatal fires on First Nations Reserves
7. Bright spot: The end of high school streaming

“Systemic racism has and continues to hinder our First Nations’ successes in employment, education, justice, social participation, and more,” said Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare. “The launch of the Chiefs of Ontario’s Anti-Racism Public Education and Awareness Campaign is meant to highlight how these discriminatory systems that have embedded themselves into our society have continued to uphold an unfair and unjust power dynamic that disproportionately and negatively affect Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC).”

The Chiefs of Ontario are hopeful that this campaign and the linkages it draws will educate the public on both the causes and consequences of systemic issues, and will serve as a meaningful tool to move away from endless cycles of engagement and inquiries on already well-studied topics.

“In a settler colonial state like Canada, systemic racism is deeply rooted in every system across this country. I urge everyone to use this campaign as a guide in unlearning the harmful and false stereotypes and narratives affecting our communities. I am hopeful that this campaign can also be used as a tool to allow for meaningful discourse surrounding the history of the Indigenous populations who have lived on these lands since time immemorial.

First Nations people have experienced far too many traumatic and preventable events as a result of systemic racism embedded within institutions and continue to face harmful stereotypes that have formed as a result of colonialism, racism, misinformation, and a general lack of awareness and understanding about the issues that plague our communities.

Recently, we have seen numerous reports be developed, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, the 231 Calls for Justice from the final report of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the 100 recommendations in the final report from the Ipperwash Inquiry. We have the information that we need to understand the consequences of systemic racism. We must use this information to strive towards real change in dismantling and overhauling the harmful systems and institutions that are currently in place.”

Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare

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The Chiefs of Ontario support all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @ChiefsOfOntario.

The Public Education and Awareness Campaign contains two components for download and exploration: the 7 Things You May Not Know Were Systemic Racism booklet, and social media graphics.

The Chiefs of Ontario invites you to participate in this campaign in the following ways: 

1. Share on social media. Chiefs of Ontario invites First Nations, Provincial Territorial Organizations, Tribal Councils, First Nations organizations and the broader public to download the social media graphics and share them on your social media channels with the hashtags: #DismantleSystemicRacism or#PromoteAllyship and tagging @ChiefsOfOntario
2. Read the booklet. The booklet, available for download, explores seven ways that systemic racism manifests itself in Ontario and Canada and provides and studies a case study for each example.
3. Spread the word. Our hope is that the contents of this campaign help to inform and empower others to speak out against systemic racism and become advocates for the implementation of concrete solutions.

To explore the campaign, visit the Justice Sector page on the Chiefs of Ontario website – look for the Anti-Racism Project: https://chiefs-of-ontario.org/priorities/justice/

For more information on the Anti-Racism Public Education and Awareness Campaign, please contact Jackie Lombardi, Director of Justice, at jackie.lombardi@coo.org.

Media inquiries, please contact:

Chris Hoyos
Director of Policy and Communications
Chiefs of Ontario
Telephone: (416) 597 4998
Email: Chris.Hoyos@coo.org