Je crois fermement qu’un projet de loi dans lequel on reconnaît publiquement toutes les langues maternelles et on s’engage à les protéger peut être une stratégie pour aborder et corriger des décennies de gestes honteux commis à l’endroit des Premières Nations, des Métis, des Inuits et des Autochtones non inscrits. Les répercussions négatives de ces gestes se manifestent clairement dans la perte de la culture et de la langue maternelle. À l’heure actuelle, aucune loi ne protège ni ne promeut explicitement les langues maternelles, hormis nos langues officielles, l’anglais et le français. Sans une loi qui reconnaît et célèbre officiellement les langues maternelles de toutes les cultures et origines, on ne peut pas véritablement protéger les langues traditionnelles.

I strongly believe that a bill openly acknowledging and committing to protect all mother languages is one strategy to addressing and rectifying decades of shameful acts committed against First Nations, Inuit, Métis and non-status Indigenous peoples, the detrimental impacts of which are so clearly manifest in a loss of cultural connection and native language. The fact is, currently, there is no legislation which explicitly protects or promotes any native languages, apart from our official ones, English and French. Without any bill explicitly recognizing and celebrating the mother languages of all cultures and heritage, there is no real protection of any traditional language.

Striking a balance between maintaining border security and protecting individual privacy rights - how far is too far? Listen to my conversation with legal expert Lex Gill where we discuss Bill S-7 and the potential consequences of expanding the search of personal digital devices in an effort to increase border security.

En novembre dernier, au début de la 44e législature, j'ai réintroduit le projet de loi S-214, Loi instituant la Journée internationale de la langue maternelle. Deux semaines plus tard, le 9 décembre 2021, le projet de loi a été adopté de façon unanime par le Sénat et a été envoyé à la Chambre des communes. J’ai bon espoir que cette fois-ci mon projet recevra la Sanction royale et que le 21 février sera reconnu officiellement comme Journée internationale de la langue maternelle au Canada.

This past November, at the beginning of the 44th Parliament, I reintroduced it as Bill S-214, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day. Just over 2 weeks later, on December 9, 2021, the bill was adopted unanimously by the Senate and sent to the House of Commons. I am hopeful that this time around my bill will receive Royal Assent, and that February 21st will be officially recognized as International Mother Language Day in Canada.

My good friend and colleague Senator Kim Pate is a nationally renowned advocate who has spent nearly 40 years working in and around the legal and penal systems of Canada, with and on behalf of some of the most marginalized, victimized, criminalized and institutionalized — particularly imprisoned youth, men and women. Following a recent tour together into several prisons across Canada, I had the change to sit down with Senator Pate to find out more about her upbringing, her drive for prisoner justice, and her journey to the Senate of Canada.

I recently had the unique opportunity to visit three federal prisons in British Columbia, accompanied by lifelong prisoner rights advocate and my friend, Senator Kim Pate. Our third and final visit was to Kent Institution, the only federal maximum-security prison for men in the Pacific Region. When we arrived, we were met by the senior staff at the prison who informed us that out of 240 men inside, 88 (about 1/3) are Indigenous, 22 are Black. We also learned that some prisoners feel the prison has created a racist and toxic environment. This is another reminder of the racism and discrimination that happens behind prison walls every day.

I recently had the unique opportunity to visit three federal prisons in British Columbia, accompanied by lifelong prisoner rights advocate and my friend, Senator Kim Pate. Our second visit was to Fraser Valley Institution, a multi-level (minimum, medium and maximum) security prison for women located in Abbotsford. We first met with the staff, inside the prison’s gymnasium. We were told that 61% of all prisoners and 89% of those classified as maximum security are Indigenous women. This is yet another example of the over-representation of Indigenous Peoples, in particular of women, in Canadian prisons.

I recently had the unique opportunity to visit three federal prisons in British Columbia, accompanied by lifelong prisoner rights advocate and my friend, Senator Kim Pate. Our first visit was to William Head Institution, a minimum-security prison for men located just outside of Victoria. When I arrived at the prison, I felt it looked much different than what I had pictured. Throughout the prison there were very few walls, minimal barbed wire fencing and I did not see many uniformed guards. Instead, I saw communities of houses where the men cook and clean for themselves.

Depuis 153 ans, le 1er juillet est réservé aux célébrations de la fête du Canada. Cependant, ce 1er juillet était très différent de tous ceux qui l’ont précédé et, espérons-le, il jettera les bases de toutes les célébrations futures. Le fait est que pour de nombreuses personnes, la fête du Canada n’a jamais été un jour de célébration. Il s’agit plutôt d’un rappel du fait que le Canada se trouve toujours sur le territoire non cédé des peuples autochtones.

For 153 years, July 1st has been reserved for Canada Day celebrations. However, this July 1st was very different than all that have come before it and will hopefully lay the foundation for all future celebrations. The fact is, that for many people, Canada Day has never been a day for celebration. Rather it has been a reminder of the fact that Canada remains on the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Indigenous peoples.

Projet de loi C-6, Loi modifiant le Code criminel (thérapie de conversion) vient d'être envoyé au Comité sénatorial permanent des affaires juridiques et constitutionnelles. Alors que ce débat se poursuit à travers le Canada, je me rappelle pourquoi le travail d'un législateur est si important. Nous devons écouter toutes les voix qui s'expriment, nous devons ensuite écouter tous les experts dont les points de vue sont opposés et enfin, nous devons arriver à notre propre conclusion sur ce que nous croyons être la bonne réponse.

Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy) has just been sent to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. As this debate continues across Canada, I am reminded why the job of a legislator is so vitally important. We have to listen to all the voices that are speaking, we then have to listen to all the experts whose views are on opposing sides and finally, we have to come to our own conclusion on what we believe is the right answer.

How can legislators and parliamentarians make informed decisions while also ensuring that correct and meaningful policies are being put in place, without any data? How do we even begin to solve our problems and prevent them from festering, without any information? Recently, I successfully moved an amendment to Bill C-7 - Medical Assistance in Dying, that will extend the powers of Health Canada to allow for the collection of race-based data to be systematically collected on a national level. The amendment also called for the data to be used to identify race-based inequities and how race intersects with other forms of systemic inequality in medical assistance in dying.

As we conclude this series and look forward to upcoming changes across every level of our government and within every aspect of our collective Canadian society, I am hopeful that real and tangible progress will be seen. In the midst of this time of heightened awareness and concern for racialized people and a renewed commitment to eradicate racism, in all of its forms, it is critical that we continue to educate ourselves and one another.

One of the biggest barriers to racialized people in Canada being able to access critical resources, such as employment, housing, and education, is that their political and governmental representatives do not necessarily understand, thus they cannot meaningfully address the systemic and institutional obstacles they face. Canada prides itself on being a multicultural nation that welcomes people from all across the world who proudly call this country their home. This emphasis on diversity and open inclusion, cannot simply be a national or global slogan.

Across our country, people of all races are sitting in prison cells. How and why did they get end up here? The fact, virtually every person has done something for which they could be criminalized. However, when a person’s race, gender and class impact their chances of being caught in the large net of criminalization and ultimately, institutionalization, then justice is not served.

Racialized children face many issues at school. Whether they are forced to go to underfunded schools because of where they live, or they suffer from being marginalized and excluded by their teachers. Many students of colour are also subjected to bullying and harassment from their colleagues. They are often over-represented in expulsion and academic streaming. All these factors affect their chances of going to university and getting a higher education. Thus, affecting their future and careers. 

Research from Canada’s largest cities suggests that visible minority groups are at a disadvantage in both the rental and homeownership markets. Over 50% of people and families of colour in Canada live in homes which are inadequate. It is also common to find neighbourhoods where only people of colour live. This segregation is forced upon them, and it gives way to another form of discrimination based on their address. Can you imagine being discriminated against because of your address, because of your postal code?  

Getting a job is the first block in building a life for a family, but merely having a name that signals a non-white person can be an obstacle. Imagine if your name is reason for being unemployed, or your skin colour is reason for being marginalized at your workplace and never advancing. This episode will delve into the matter of Race and Employment in Canada.