June 17, 2022

CBTU Canada Statement on the Toronto Police Services 2020 Race Based Data Collection Findings

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) in Canada acknowledges the apology to the Black community by Toronto Police Chief James Ramer. We further recognize that the information collected in the 2020 Race-Based Data Collection Report sheds light on the policing of Black and Indigenous communities, covering multiple years with various police chiefs at the helm.

Among the data is the finding that the Black population is 10% of Toronto’s population but five times more likely to receive force from police and twice as likely to have police pull firearms on them even when believed to be unarmed. This data is not new information to the Black community. Rather it is the far too often reality of a people whose complaints on this are historically heard, documented and later shelved by those tasked and empowered to correct it. While the acknowledgement of the incomprehensible treatment of Black and Indigenous citizens by the Toronto Police Service and the resulting apology from the Toronto Police Chief can be viewed as stepping in the right direction, an apology without corrective action and reparations is equivalent to a home without a roof.

CBTU Canada further stands compelled to disagree with the statements made by the Toronto police chief that the report does not reflect the act of individual officers. Systemic racism in policing can only be carried out by individual officers and the policies put in place by those individual officers who are eventually promoted into policy and decision-making positions within the Toronto Police Service. It is also our view that racism and white supremacy are ingrained within Canadian society and this latest apology following a long series of similar reports and findings reflects the systemic nature of racism in policing. Whereas the police services represent a microcosm of that society, police are not exempt from perpetuating those views while interacting within communities. The Toronto Police Service’s 2020 race based data collection findings is the latest report of a long list of reports, collected over decades that both tells the Black community what is already known and have historically become little more than paperweights over time. These documents were eventually shelved by police chief after police chief. The 1992 Louis Report on Racism in Ontario, the 2018 report of the Independent Street Check Review, and the 2012 Toronto Star series entitled “Known to Police” are a few examples of what we see as wake up calls effectively ignored mandate after mandate, by consecutive police chiefs, municipal, provincial and federally elected leaders. Decades after these reports were first released the relationship between the Black community and policing continues to be an area of great concern and the defunding of a policing system that continues to fail the Black community remains a point of discussion.

The CBTU in Canada continues to declare that the need for a report to tell the Black community what is already known is non-existent. The CBTU advocates for concrete action by the Toronto Police Service and all levels of government to end racism in law enforcement while creating fair and equitable policing that works for everyone.

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-Canada (CBTU) Executive Board

Contact:

Mark Brown

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In solidarity

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The Honourable Steve Mackinnon

Minister of Labour

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Minister MacKinnon,

I am writing on behalf of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Canada (CBTU Canada) and in solidarity with our members who work for Canada Post as members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) demand justice, fairness, and respect for the rights of Canadian postal workers. The recent decision to force postal workers back to work through a back-to-work order, particularly during the busy holiday season, is profoundly troubling and requires immediate and urgent reconsideration.

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Save the date to join the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice (CCECJ) and the ENRICH Project in celebrating the National Strategy on Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act (formerly Bill C-226) becoming law.

Date: Thursday, August 22, 2024
Time: 6pm - 9pm ET
Location: Hybrid Event – CSI Spadina (192 Spadina Ave., Toronto) & Zoom

Cost: Free

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More details to follow soon, including RSVP for both in-person and virtual participation and promotional materials.

Special thanks to the Sustainability Network for providing additional funding for this event. We look forward to celebrating this environmental justice milestone with our community!

In solidarity

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) - Canada

COALITION OF BLACK TRADE UNIONISTS TRI -STATE REGION 1 Conference

REVISED CONVENTION CALL

Dear CBTU Brother and Sisters:

I am excited to announce that the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Annual Region 1 Conference will be held July 19-21, 2024, at The Doubletree Hotel, 6301 State Route 298, East Syracuse, NY.

Continuing the celebration of the International CBTU 53^rd Anniversary, our theme is also “Never Back, Always Forward: Hate Cannot Erase Us.” The agenda will consist of education and information that will give us an opportunity to reflect on our power and influence in the labor movement and our communities in the fight for social and economic justice.

In solidarity

Sharon Lovelady-Hall, CBTU Region 1 Director

Andrea McCormack, Secretary

Nina Manning, Treasurer

Ursula Howard, Women’s Committee Chair

Eugene Williams, Men’s Committee Chair

LaNette Murphy,Youth Committee Chair

Juanita Forde, Younger Workers Committee Chair

[email protected]

Contact:

OPEN LETTER

**REVISED CONVENTION CALL**

REVISED CONVENTION CALL