Report says Montreal needs to recognize ‘systemic racism’ and take action against it

Jun 15, 2020 | 7:55 AM

MONTREAL — A report published today says the City of Montreal has neglected the fight against racism and failed to recognize the systemic nature of discrimination.

The 261-page document follows a public consultation involving more than 7,000 people and concludes that the city has trouble translating words into action.

Montreal’s public consultation office makes 38 recommendations, starting with a recognition of the systemic nature of racism and discrimination against racialized groups and Indigenous people.

The office’s president, Dominique Ollivier, says in a letter to Mayor Valerie Plante accompanying the report that the failure to recognize the problem has left the city without the necessary tools to genuinely tackle it.