Today, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement:
"As the Minister of Public Safety, I am pleased to respond to the Report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) regarding Systemic Racism in Policing in Canada, on behalf of the Government of Canada.
"Our government is resolute in our efforts to address systemic racism, which is present across our institutions, including law enforcement. I would like to commend the committee for examining the complex challenges facing police in Canada today and exploring new ways to address systemic racism and better serve communities. Canadians must have confidence in those charged with keeping them safe, and police must earn this trust.
"The committee's report highlights a number of long standing inequities in Canadian policing. Our government supports a majority of its recommendations, and we are committed to taking steps to implement them. There remains much work to be done to address systemic racism in policing, and we are committed to doing in collaboration with advocates, law enforcement and others.
"A central part of these efforts is ensuring appropriate police accountability and civilian oversight. To that end, we recently introduced a bill to create the Public Complaints Review Commission (PCRC), an enhanced review body for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Border Services Agency. This independent body will help strengthen oversight and address systemic racism in both agencies. Importantly, the commission will be required to collect and publish disaggregated race-based data to better assess and address systemic racism in law enforcement.
"This is just one of the many steps we are taking that respond to the issues raised in the report. The government's response clearly demonstrates our strong commitment to addressing systemic inequities in law enforcement and to ensuring that everyone in Canada, especially racialized communities, are treated with fairness and respect.
"I want to once again thank the committee for their hard work and valuable insights. Our government will collaborate with Indigenous, Black, and other racialized individuals and groups, as well as other orders of government and public safety agencies, to support the implementation of the Report's recommendations.
