Conclusion

“These are good recommendations, but they need to be action oriented. Anti-Blackness and the legacy of slavery is very evident in our system. It requires real commitment and investment.”

The robust engagement that our consultations attracted from Black communities throughout Alberta indicates a notable investment of attention, scrutiny, and importantly, hope, aimed at assisting Canada's Black Justice Strategy in achieving its desired aim. Canada’s disservice to Black communities can no longer be ignored, and the strategy represents an important medium by which equitable treatment in criminal justice can be achieved.

This report presents key findings from consultations with a vast array of Black-identifying individuals and organizations serving Black communities across Alberta. The insights included in this report stem from analysis of 13 focus groups, encompassing 141 individuals, and 98 responses from an online survey. The consultations were conducted to understand the extent to which Black communities in Albertans resonated with the Black Justice Strategy’s recommendations. The following are the main conclusions from the consultations:

  1. Canada’s Black Justice Strategy’s recommendations are a positive step to rectify inequities facing Black Albertans within the justice system.
  2. Participants resonated most with the “social determinants of justice” pillar and saw it as foundational in addressing the root causes of Black overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.
  3. To ensure its effectiveness, Canada’s Black Justice Strategy’s recommendations must be coupled with a clear action plan, timelines, and criteria to measure its success.
  4. On corrections, more attention should be directed to improving in-facility care for Black inmates.
  5. More work is needed to increase awareness about IRCAs and increase their impact within the criminal justice system.
  6. There should be clear standards and consequences in place to address racist behaviour by police officers.

As part of our methodological approach, we sought to uncover nuanced data pointing to the particularities of the Albertan context. Thus, we heard important insights from participants regarding spreading more awareness about IRCAs in the Canadian prairies and building capacity amongst organizations and individuals who prepare them. Beyond these measures, however, insights in this respect were scant. Participants often noted that the issues which plagued Black communities in Alberta were not novel, but mirrored the experiences of other Black communities within and outside of Canada. As one participant emphasized, “Anti-Black racism is a global issue.”