Public hearings to be held in May and June 2010 - The Commission des droits
de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse calls for solutions to address
racial profiling

MONTREAL, March 10 /CNW Telbec/ - The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse is urging public institutions and community organizations to take a stand against racial profiling by putting forward constructive solutions to address this problem.

In its Consultation Document on Racial Profiling released today, the Commission presents first-hand accounts of profiling, statistics and a series of questions aimed at guiding the discussions during the public hearings on racial profiling and its consequences, to be held in May and June 2010.

The Consultation, launched in September 2009, focuses primarily on the racial profiling experiences of young people aged 14 to 25 from racialized communities in the educational sector, the social services and child and youth protection sector, as well as in the area of public safety.

"The submissions collected by the Commission last autumn, as well as the research findings and analysis cited in the Consultation Document, offer a stark illustration of the long lasting effects of racial profiling on the lives of many Québec youth. This data reinforces the need to address the issue so that these youth can live in an open and just society, free from racism," said the Gaétan Cousineau, President of the Commission.

He added: "Not only did victims of racial profiling bring to the attention of the Commission troubling facts, but they also opened up, sharing their feelings of injustice, their mistrust, fear, and at times despair, in the wake of racial profiling incidents."

Members of racialized communities experience systemic discrimination that is reflected in several areas, and particularly at the socio-economic level, says the Commission's Consultation Document. For example, the unemployment rate for individuals born in Canada who hold a secondary school diploma is 14.7 % among Blacks, 14.5% among Latin-Americans and 19.2 % among Arabs, while it is at least half of that for non-racialized persons (6.6 %).

Any person, organization and institution that have possible solutions to end racial profiling is invited to submit a written presentation in response to the questions raised in its document. The deadline for filing a submission is Wednesday May 12, 2010. All submissions will be considered and the authors may be invited to take part in the public hearings which will begin in Montreal on Wednesday May 26, 2010. Public hearings are also planned in Quebec City (June 2) and Sherbrooke (June 3).

The Commission will publish its final report and recommendations by the end of 2010, and is committed to its implementation.

The Consultation Document is available at: http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/publications/docs/racial-profiling-consultation.pdf

For more information on how to take part, as well as the dates and locations of the public hearings, please visit: http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/racialprofiling/

    
    Contact:

    Patricia Poirier
    514 873-5146 or 1 800 361-6477, ext. 358
    [email protected]
    

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For further information: Patricia Poirier, [phone], 1-800-361-6477, ext. 358, [email protected]