Racial Profiling needs to be addressed and made known to others. Have you experienced racial discrimination?
ECCC is documenting cases of racism. 

 Racial profiling: Any action undertaken for reasons of safety or public protection where an individual is singled out, NOT because of reasonable suspicion, but instead because of preconceived notions about their character; based on their race, ethnicity, religion, ancestry or place of origin.

Profiling can occur in a number of contexts including, but not limited to, the criminal justice system, schools, workplaces, police services and law enforcement.

Examples of racial profiling in the…

 Education System

• Stereotyping of non-white children as ‘aggressive or ‘slow to learn’ has resulted in less support from teachers and a loss of confidence in the child.

Criminal Justice System and Police Services

• Racial profiling of Muslims, Sikhs, South Asians and Arabs as terrorists; and the profiling of Blacks as drug dealers results in distrust, anger, hostility and fear towards the police.

Law Enforcement Regulations

• In response to 9/11 Canada’s national borders are being strengthened and militarized using computer systems that show where a person was born, irrespective of their Canadian citizenship and this may lead to racial profiling.

Racial profiling may result in…

• A loss of faith in teachers/school administrators and a loss of confidence in the children who are victims of this profiling.
• A loss of faith in the police, which may result in people not wanting to go to the police to report a problem.
• A diminished sense of citizenship and alienation from those meant to protect you.
• An internalizing of negative stereotypes resulting in fear and unwillingness to associate oneself with others of the same race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion or place of origin.
• Individuals having to alter their actions and normal daily routines in an attempt to avoid the experience of profiling.
• Stronger community unity and cohesion as members provide a wide variety of assistance, encouragement and support to one another.

Recommendations

• To produce and publish a provincial report on racial profiling in which the issues, cases and long-term impacts of racial profiling are highlighted.
• Perform a critical examination of current policies and practices, including those that are in place to protect the rights of citizens.
• Create a social consciousness or awareness for all, irrespective of ethnicity, around the existence of racial profiling and how it is practiced.
• Address the reality of racial profiling at all levels of society by meeting with politicians, the police force, youth, parents, school boards, health care providers and others in order to understand the ‘culture’ of these respective communities and discover where racial profiling exists within them in order to correct this problem.
• Host a conference for the minority community to collectively engage in dealing with the day-to-day reality of racial profiling.