Statement from Andrea Horwath on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

QUEEN’S PARK — NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination:

“Today, New Democrats are joining with communities across Ontario to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by calling for action to end racism in our province.

Too many in our province still face systemic racism each and every day and in all aspects of daily life. As Ontarians, we have an opportunity to push back and come together to stomp out prejudice, fight systemic injustice, and tear down barriers that exist for Indigenous, Black and racialized people in our province.

Today, we can start moving Ontario in the right direction again. We can take concrete action, starting with:

• Abolishing carding and deleting all data collected from this unconstitutional practice
• Making the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People the law in Ontario
• Marking Jan. 29 as the annual day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia
• Restoring and fully funding the Anti-Racism Secretariat
• Ensuring that every MPP and government employee undergoes regular anti-racism education and training.

We can’t stop there. We have to tackle inequities in education, including the biased streaming of Black high school students into less ambitious programs, and the inequity in accessing post-secondary education and training.

We have to recognize that the lack of clean, running water and safe housing in First Nations communities is a product of colonialism, and we have to honour our treaty obligations to fix it.

New Democrats are unwavering in our determination to push for these changes and so much more. Together, as a province, we can do so much more and build a better Ontario for all of us.”