Quebec will appoint a minister to fight racism, ban random arrests

In a press conference in Montreal this afternoon, a trio of Quebec ministers announced that a new minister will be appointed to deal with the province’s fight against racism — all while toeing the party line vis à vis the CAQ’s denial that systemic racism exists. The creation of this new ministerial position is one of several recommendations from the report by the Groupe d’action contre le racisme (GACR), which was presented today by Health and Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant, International Relations and Immigration Minister Nadine Girault and Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière.

Addressing the controversy over the term systemic racism, Carmant said that the government wanted to go “beyond a semantic debate and debate solutions that will put an end to racism in all its forms.”

Lionel Carmant, after being asked whether this is just another report that will have no impact

The report also recommends a ban on random police arrests (of pedestrians as well as drivers), changing up police patrols (with officers of diverse race and ethnicity, and introducing social workers into the mix) as well as highlighting the fight against racism in the reformed Ethics and Religious Culture curriculum in elementary and high schools. The province will also launch an awareness campaign about the realities of visible minorities and Indigenous people in Quebec.

For more about the report, please visit the GACR page on the government of Quebec website.

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