Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate was created in February 2016 by Premier Kathleen Wynne and works to address and prevent systemic racism in government policy, legislation, programs and services. The Honorable Michael Coteau has been appointed as the Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism.
The directorate aims to:
- Eliminate systemic racism in institutions governed or regulated by the Ontario government
- Increase awareness and understanding of systemic racism among the public
- Promote fair practices and policies that lead to racial equity
- Collaborate with the community, business organizations, government and the Ontario Human Rights Commission
To achieve these goals, they’re focusing on four key areas:
- Policy, research and evaluation
- Use evidence to identify, monitor and prevent systemic racism in Ontario
- Ensure an anti-racism perspective is applied in creating, implementing and evaluating government policies, programs, and services
- Public education and awareness
- Increase public education and awareness of systemic racism
- Community collaboration
- Build relationships between government and racialized and Indigenous communities to better address issues of racism
- Sustainable governance
- Develop a long-term accountable and transparent organization that helps the government address systemic racism
In March of 2017, Michael Coteau introduced new legislation that would, if passed, embed Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate in law, creating a framework for continued work to promote equity for racialized groups across the province. Learn more about the historic legislation and the Province’s A Better Way Forward: Ontario’s 3-Year Anti-Racism Strategic Plan here.