Black Canadians see workplace as 'epicentres' of racism, survey finds

Lorne Foster is a York University professor and lead researcher of the Black Canadian National Survey research project (BCNS) (Submitted Sofia Kirk)

A new national study looking at the experiences of Black Canadians and other racialized groups found many people from these communities see workplaces as the “epicentres” of racial discrimination and unfairness.

The study, titled Black Canadian National Survey research project (BCNS), was conducted by York University’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) in partnership with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation to explore social, political, and economic ties between races and ethnicities.

Lorne Foster, a York professor and lead researcher of the final report, said this project puts lived experiences of Black people at the forefront.

“I believe, in a lot of researches, the Black community has been silenced or it has been jettisoned from a lot of conversations,” Foster told CTVNews.ca on Thursday, adding when statistical researchers uses the term “visible minority,” they cover a lot of different groups in Canada, without distinguishing the nuances of each.

“This data, and the situations that were revealed, show a lack of morale is much more prevalent in the Black community,” he said. “Race magnifies the feelings of discrimination and disadvantage that these racialized groups have.”

According to the final report, 47 per cent of Black people surveyed believe they have been treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay or promotion in the last year. That’s three times higher than white Canadians at 15 per cent.

The data collection for the report consisted of two surveys, a national web survey which received over five thousand responses and a national Black community web survey.

The final report also includes answers from a wiki survey – a dynamic tool used to gauge people’s perspectives on policies and services – that received 10,199 votes.

“People think of this as just another study out there. But this is a foundation of disaggregated race data to determine exactly what’s going on in society,” said the lead researcher calling the findings “ground-breaking.”

SYSTEMATIC RACISM AND PROFILING

The BCNS report examined experiences in different sectors, such as the criminal justice system, health care, education and social services.

Some of the report’s findings include 90 per cent Black Canadians surveyed, and 82 per cent of Indigenous people view racism in the criminal justice system as a serious problem.

“There’s really some deep trust deficits that exist between the Black community and police across Canada,” Foster said.

The data shows an average of 22 per cent of Black people, both men and women, report being unfairly stopped by police in the last 12 months across Canada.

That’s more than any other group, as other racialized Canadians and Indigenous people averaged 10 per cent, while only five per cent of white Canadians indicated they have been unfairly stopped by police at, according to the report.

In terms of the education sector, 73 per cent of Black Canadians and 53 per cent of other racialized people said racism is a serious or very serious problem within the education system, while 36 per cent of white Canadians agreed with the statement.

Foster said this disaggregated data and race analysis could be the key to addressing systemic issues.

“I really do believe that the only way you can address structural vulnerability and systemic racism is to be armed with this relevant data,” Foster said.

However, more studies and data gathering must be done before coming to conclusions.

“It’s like when you go to the doctor,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to suggest that someone has a problem or disease based on one test.”

“We’ve raised potential issues that need to be addressed further.”

ADDRESSING RACISM ACROSS CANADA

Foster said surprisingly, many people think negative experiences impacting Black communities are a “big city problem.”

However, the report shows a large disparity throughout the country.

In Atlantic regions, 40 per cent of Black males said they were unfairly stopped, and 41 per cent indicated the same thing in B.C.

In Quebec and Ontario, it was 31 and 30 per cent accordingly.

“This could create a new national narrative if people realize this,” he said.

Foster wants to see provinces start gathering data to improve the quality of life of their residents. He says he’s worked with the Ontario government to establish a proper collection of race data to dismantle racism and is currently working on something similar with the government of Nova Scotia.

“This is a snowball effect that's going to require decision-makers and power brokers to enforce. At least people are listening now at a political level,” he said.

The BCNS survey was co-sponsored by the Multicultural History Society of Ontario with funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.