Question Period Note: Black Canadian Communities and Decade for People of African Descent

• Black Canadians have significant historical roots in Canada, yet remain one of the groups most targeted by hate crimes and marginalization.
• Since recognizing the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) in 2018, the Government has allocated $44 million for initiatives to specifically support Black communities.
• This included $9 million in funding through Budget 2018 to enhance community supports for Black Canadian Youth. Through the Community Support for Black Canadian Youth Initiative, 56 projects totaling approximately $7.7 million were supported. Additionally, funding of $430,000 was allocated to Urban Rez Solutions Social Enterprise to lead a National Anti-Black Racism Education and Awareness Campaign.
• Budget 2019 also allocated $45 million over three years to support a new anti-racism strategy. The strategy aims to find ways to counter racism in its various forms, with a strong focus on community-based projects.

• The Black population in Canada surpassed the one-million mark for the first time in 2016, making this community the third-largest visible minority group at 15.6 percent of the total visible minority population.
• Budget 2018 committed $9 million over three years for the Department of Canadian Heritage to enhance community supports for Black Canadian youth and $10 million over five years to the Public Health Agency of Canada for research towards culturally focused mental health programs in Black Canadian communities.
• Funding allocated to the Department of Canadian Heritage enabled the creation of the Community Support for Black Canadian Youth Initiative (CSBCY). In 2018-2019, the Michaëlle Jean Foundation received $160,000 to deliver their Designing the Future Black Youth Initiative. A call for proposals for CSBCY was open from September 2018 to May 31, 2019, during which 152 applications were received. Of these, 56 proposals were funded for a combined value of approximately $7.7 million over two years.
• In May 2019, Urban Rez Solutions Social Enterprise was selected to lead a National Anti-Black Racism Education and Awareness Campaign. They received a two-year contribution agreement for $430,000 split evenly over two years.
• Budget 2019 provided $25 million over five years to Employment and Skills Development Canada for projects and capital assistance to celebrate, share knowledge and build capacity in Black Canadian communities.
• Budget 2019 provided $45 million in funding over three years, beginning in 2019-2020, for Canada’s Anti−Racism Strategy 2019-2022.
• Since the official launch of the Strategy in June 2019, the Secretariat has begun engaging with Black communities to foster alignment and collaborate on further action to address identified gaps and issues.

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