Consultation: Ontario’s anti-racism strategic plan review
Submit your feedback to help eliminate systemic racism and ensure racism and hate never limit social and economic opportunities for people in Ontario.
Closing Date: May 4, 2022
The online consultation is closed. Please send any inquiries to ARDReview@ontario.ca.
Background
Ontario’s Anti-Racism Strategic Plan is the province’s commitment to break down systemic barriers and advance racial equity. This means reviewing government policies, programs and services to find ways for everyone to have better opportunities and outcomes. It’s about making sure government is here to serve and support everyone in an equitable way.
The last plan was released in March 2017 and has five pillars:
- policy, research and evaluation
- sustainability and accountability
- public education and awareness
- community collaboration
- population-specific anti-racism initiatives
Progress to date
Ontario developed annual progress reports for the Anti-Racism Strategic Plan in September 2020 and September 2021 to outline progress made towards the objectives outlined in Ontario’s anti-racism strategic plan.
In collaboration with Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, ministry partners, public sector organizations, and through the leadership of the Anti-Racism Directorate, the reports reflect progress in:
- building a solid policy, research and accountability framework, including race-based data collection, through which to examine government policy, legislation, programs and services
- creating strategies and supporting initiatives for populations experiencing the most adverse impacts of systemic racism
- bringing together community leaders and organizations with expertise and lived experience to facilitate ongoing dialogue, important research and awareness campaigns
Examples of how Ontario has been taking action to advance anti-racism
Anti-racism data standards released
By 2023, or earlier, public sector organizations in child welfare, education and justice sectors are required to collect race-based data. To support this requirement, the Anti-Racism Directorate conducts technical briefings for public sector organizations and created a corresponding informational video to be accessible online. The Data Standards for the Identification and Monitoring of Systemic Racism, also known as Ontario’s Anti-Racism Data Standards, were established to help eliminate systemic racism and promote racial equity by:
- helping identify and monitor systemic racism and racial disparities within the public sector
- setting requirements for collecting, analyzing and reporting race-based information
- establishing consistent, effective practices to produce reliable information to support evidence-based decision-making and public accountability
Addressing racism and inequity in schools
Since September 2020, Ontario took bold action to make changes to the education system and help break down barriers for Black, Indigenous and racialized students and provide all students with an equal opportunity to succeed. The province is moving forward with ending grade nine streaming into applied and academic courses, proposing to:
- eliminate discretionary suspensions for students
- strengthen sanctions for teachers who engage in behaviour of a racist nature
- provide teachers with additional anti-racism and anti-discrimination training
Increased funding to support Black youth
In 2020, the province doubled funding for the Black Youth Action Plan by investing an additional $60 million over three years. This funding will:
- renew existing Black Youth Action Plan programming
- create a new economic empowerment programming stream
- provide targeted supports to help Black families and communities recover from the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic
An additional investment of $14 million was provided to the Black Youth Action Plan in 2022 to help youth access employment opportunities and career-building resources. The funding will be used to create a new economic empowerment program that will help community organizations and Black-led businesses create local projects that provide the skills youth need to find jobs in high-growth sectors.
Increasing mental health supports for Indigenous peoples, families and communities
Ontario is dedicating over $41 million to culturally safe mental health and well-being services and supports for Indigenous individuals and communities across Ontario in line with the province’s Roadmap to Wellness.
The government is making investments to expand and enhance community-based mental health supports and services in collaboration with Indigenous partners and through targeted programs focused on Indigenous children and youth.
Providing financial supports for anti-hate programs
Ontario has doubled its commitment to the Anti-Racism Anti-Hate Grant Program with an investment of $3.2 million over two years. This program focuses on supporting community-led initiatives that will increase public education and awareness on the impact of anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Asian racism and other forms of racism.
Every Ontarian deserves to feel safe where they congregate. That is why the government is providing $25 million through the Ontario Grant to Support Anti-Hate Security Measures for Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations.
About the consultation
Under the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, the government is required to review Ontario’s Anti-Racism Strategic Plan at least every five years. Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate is leading this review, through this online consultation and community engagements.
The government will:
- review the work done under each of the five pillars within the strategy
- seek partner and stakeholder input on related government priorities
- seek partner and stakeholder input on existing initiatives and emerging priorities to fight systemic racism
This consultation provides the opportunity to hear from the public about how the government can combat racism in the government, eliminate violence and hate, and empower communities, youth, and families. It will inform anti-racism initiatives that advance racial equity in Ontario, making our province a fairer place for everyone.
The Anti-Racism Directorate will also collaborate directly with population-specific community leaders and organizations to engage populations who are adversely impacted by systemic racism and hate. The community engagements will include Indigenous, Black, Jewish, Muslim, and other racialized communities, including East Asian communities, that have experienced an increase in anti-Asian racism.
Ontario is committed to strengthening relationships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders, communities and organizations. We will collaborate with Indigenous partners to seek input on the Indigenous-focused components of the strategy review.
How to participate
The online consultation is closed. Please send any inquiries to ARDReview@ontario.ca.
Your privacy matters
The Ontario government, including the Anti-racism directorate (ARD), is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
The information you choose to provide (for example, opinions and demographic data) and your feedback will be collected by the ARD, reviewed to remove personal identifying information, and shared with a research vendor who is assisting the ARD with the review. Analysis of survey results, and information provided through submissions, may be used in a summary report at an aggregate level and inform advice to government.
Information about your race and other sociodemographic factors (for example, religion), as well as your views and experiences, is needed to understand the way race intersects with other social identities (for example, gender identity) and to ensure that participants reflect the regional diversity of Ontario. Based on their analysis, the ARD may recommend population-specific initiatives.
You do not have to answer all questions if you choose to complete the survey. You will not be asked to provide any information that would reveal who you are (for example, your name or phone number) or reveal any other person’s identity.
If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of your information, please contact:
Nisha Haji
Director, Policy and Program
ARDReview@ontario.ca