In the Federal Ministerial daily update, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister was asked about the federal government’s response to U.S. President Trump’s decision to potentially call in the army to deal with the George Floyd protests.
Chrystia Freeland first acknowledged that racism very much exists here in Canada. She says systemic discrimination is real, anti-black racism is real, and unconscious bias is real.
Freeland says as a Canadian politician and leader her focus is on Canada and is on being very clear within the federal government and with Canadians that this is not a problem to which we are immune.
She said what really concerns her is Canadian complacency, adding that it’s really important for the federal government to set their own house in order. Freeland highlighted the need to be aware of the pain that anti-black racism causes here in Canada as well as of the reality that we also have systemic discrimination here.
She ended saying, “Canadians need to take this very traumatic moment for many people in the world as an opportunity to look at what we are doing in Canada and to work hard to do better.