NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh statement on Liberal government policing announcement

“For months I and the Ontario NDP have been speaking out loud and clear on the need for a province wide ban on the practice known as carding, or 'street checks' in some areas. 

“People in Ontario are tired and simply don’t trust this Liberal Government’s flashy announcements.

“If the Liberal government was paying attention to what people in Ontario are saying when it comes to carding, they would know that this is not a practice that can be regulated; it needs to be banned completely.

“We have been talking to legal groups, civil rights groups and community leaders who have spelled it out: Carding violates two fundamental Charter rights: the right to not be arbitrarily detained, and the right to not be subjected to unreasonable search and seizure.

“This is an important issue that effects the lives of racialized people across this province. When I brought forward my plan a week before the end of the legislature, it was because I have personally experienced the effect of these policies, and as a criminal defence lawyer I represented clients who were hurt by these issues.

“The fact that this government is basically announcing a plan to make a plan is exactly why people are cynical about politics. What we are getting is yet another Liberal panel, another study and no real action.”