The issue of the trade war with the United States is on everyone's lips during this election campaign. Canadians are looking for a leader capable of dealing with the threat posed by Donald Trump. However, certain issues, particularly social issues, are receiving very little attention from political party leaders.
In the 2021 elections, the issue of systemic racism was almost central. As a reminder, the deaths of George Floyd and Joyce Echaquan and the discovery of mass graves in Indigenous residential schools highlighted the government's responsibility for inequality and racism. Four years later, this issue is rarely mentioned in the parties' election platforms. After examining them closely, we found a few scattered measures, but also some challenges to existing provisions in terms of systemic racism.
Liberal Party: a comprehensive plan but few concrete elements
Unlike Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party, under the leadership of Mark Carney, is proposing fairly general measures that target few or no specific communities. Overall, the plan presented in the election platforms supports a commitment to fight racism, sexism, and for LGBTQ+ communities, but without developing specific measures.
The Liberals' promises to combat systemic racism:
- The Liberal Party wants to combat the rise of hatred by implementing the Canadian Action Plan Against Hate introduced under Trudeau in 2024. The party proposes to continue implementing this measure.
- The party also proposes to significantly increase the annual budget for Canada's Community Safety Program to help protect vulnerable communities and places of worship. However, the amount allocated to this program is not specified.
- It says it wants to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It proposes to protect the values on which it is based and to guarantee the protection of women, people with disabilities, racialized communities, Indigenous peoples, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals.
New Democratic Party: a focus on Indigenous issues
Jagmeet Singh's party's election platform is light on measures to combat inequality and injustice in the broadest sense. The party has chosen to put reconciliation with First Nations at the center of the debate by building a plan around this issue. It proposes to launch a national inquiry into systemic violence and racism against Indigenous peoples within Canadian institutions.
Bloc Québécois: provincial identity and rejection of certain federal policies in favor of equity
In terms of electoral strategy, Yves-François Blanchet's party is focusing on promoting Quebec identity. In the “Choosing to be ourselves” section of their election platform, the following measures are outlined:
- The Bloc Québécois seeks greater participation by minorities in public institutions, but proposes to abolish equity, diversity, and inclusion criteria in the federal government, as they create exclusion and are ill-suited to the realities of Quebec and the regions.
- The party will work to establish an ombudsman against discrimination in all its forms in federal institutions.
- The Bloc wishes to introduce a bill to exclude Quebec from Canadian multiculturalism so that the province can choose its own model for integrating newcomers.
- The Bloc proposes to withdraw funding for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives in the federal public service.
EDI policies are federal initiatives aimed at reducing systemic barriers and prejudices faced by Canadian minority groups. The goal is to create a more equitable, fair, and diverse system for research and access to employment and services. The party's financial plan does not specify how much this cut would represent. In the New Revenues and Savings section, the party has earmarked $21,475 million over five years for the Public Service and Consultants.
In its quest to strengthen Quebec values across Canada, the Bloc Québécois is promoting a series of measures in support of Quebec's Secularism Act, Bill 21. Those most affected by the implementation and strengthening of this law, particularly members of Quebec's Muslim and Jewish communities, believe that these measures run counter to the principles of equality and the fight against systemic racism.
These measures are as follows:
- The Bloc Québécois wants to abolish the position of Canada's special representative for the fight against Islamophobia. It will amend the definition of the duties of the position of Canada's Special Envoy for the Preservation of the Memory of the Holocaust and the Fight Against Antisemitism in order to preserve the mandates arising from international commitments, while removing the role of advisor to the Prime Minister and ministers.
- The party wants to ban federal government employees in positions of authority working in Quebec from wearing religious symbols, in accordance with the framework established by Bill 21.
- The Bloc Québécois will strongly oppose the federal challenge to Quebec's Bill 21.
- The party wants to take action to regulate prayer in federal public places, particularly airports.
Green Party of Canada: a clear commitment
The party, co-led by Jonathan Pedneault and Elizabeth May, has taken a concrete stance with a series of measures to combat climate change and social inequalities linked to systemic racism. However, these promises have not been quantified.
Green promises on systemic racism:
- Launch a national inquiry into systemic racism in policing, including recent deaths in custody and the disproportionate use of force against First Nations people.
- Establish a permanent high-level environmental justice office within Environment Canada. This office would be responsible for implementing Canada's national strategy on racism and environmental justice.
- Strengthen laws against hate speech and hate groups.
- Fund community programs to combat discrimination.
- Combat racist practices in policing and law enforcement: require judges to explicitly consider systemic racism when determining sentences, consistent with Supreme Court decisions.
Conservative Party of Canada: A platform without measures for inclusion
Pierre Poilièvre's party has no specific plan to combat hatred, discrimination or exclusion against different minority groups. In general, its election platform focuses primarily on economic development issues. The Conservative Party says it wants to end the imposition of “woke” ideology in the federal public service and in the allocation of federal funds for university research. When asked on Mario Dumont's show on QUB about the position of Canada's special representative for the fight against Islamophobia, Pierre Poilièvre replied that he did not want to reserve a position for a particular group of people. He said he was against “all forms of racism” but did not endorse the Liberal Party's “woke” approach. No measures related to the abolition or retention of the position appear in the party's election platform. Like the Bloc Québécois, the Conservatives want to reduce funding for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives in the federal public service, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Once again, nothing in the party's financial framework specifies the amount of this potential cut.