Over the last five years, provincial and federal governments have announced their commitments to ensuring the criminal justice system keeps all Canadians, their families, and communities safe.
Recent provincial, national, and international events, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic have further highlighted the systemic discrimination and disproportionate representation of Indigenous peoples, Black Canadians and members of other racialized communities in the criminal justice system.
The HSJCC Network has long acknowledged that one of the negative impacts of slavery, colonization and oppression is an overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous and racialized populations within the mental health and criminal justice systems. Following high profile incidents of racism both provincially and internationally, as well as feedback received from our Regional HSJCCs, the Provincial HSJCC has committed to identifying ways the HSJCC Network can participate in the dismantling of structural and systemic racism.
In response to requests from HSJCC members across the network looking for additional guidance and support in improving anti-racism policies and strategies, the Provincial HSJCC approved the establishment of a Standing Advisory Committee to oversee and guide the development of this work in November 2020.
Since then, the Anti-racism Advisory Committee has conducted a survey across the HSJCC Network and identified three priority areas of work in support of the P-HSJCC’s efforts to address anti-racism within the human services and justice systems. The Committee’s first priority is the development of a provincial framework/strategy that will guide Local, Regional and Provincials HSJCCs, as well as other professionals working in the human services and justice systems in their commitment to improve anti-racism efforts as part of their work.
Presented at the 2023 HSJCC Virtual Conference on November 15, 2023.
Presenters:
Ashleigh Addison
PROJECT MANAGER
Provincial HSJCC
Andrew Fairbairn
NETWORK COORDINATOR
CMHA Ontario
Duane Lea
Shereen Rampersad
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MANAGER
Services and Housing In the Province (SHIP)
Valerie Danieli
CO-CHAIR
HSJCC Anti-Racism Advisory Committee
