Introduction

For four centuries, African-descended people in Canada have navigated assorted experiences of racial discrimination and marginalization, much of which is rooted in the country’s history of colonialism, slavery, and segregation. Despite facing persistent disadvantages, our communities have displayed remarkable resilience, carving out spaces for expressions of resistance, courage, and joy. Yet racial disparities remain a nagging challenge that erodes our collective potential, permeating education, immigration, employment, housing and notably, the criminal justice system. Though data is limited, available statistical evidence suggests Black people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system as both victims and people accused and convicted of crime.

To address this ongoing challenge, the federal government has sanctioned the development of Canada's Black Justice Strategy, hereinafter referred to as “the Strategy”. The second phase of this project involves gathering insights from diverse Black communities across the nation on the Justice Strategy’s preliminary recommendations. Thus, the African Civic Engagement Council (ACCEC) has been entrusted wit leading community consultations in the province of Alberta, home to Canada’s fastest-growing Black population, and the third largest in the country.

This report presents the findings of ACCEC’s consultation with stakeholder groups constituting the Black community in Alberta. Over a two-week period, ACCEC administered a survey and held approximately 13 focus group sessions with Black communities across Alberta. Most communities and individuals we spoke to had notable experience interacting with the justice system, either as professionals, community-based advocates, victims, or offenders.

The following question guided our conversations with these communities:

Do the Strategy’s recommendations meet the needs of diverse Black communities across Alberta?

To elicit detailed responses, we created a subset of more specific inquiries: