Five priority areas

In addition to the five pillars of the Strategy, the Steering Group recommended five priority areas that inform the recommendations being made.

  1. Decarceration: Canada must aim to reduce the overall current rate of persons incarcerated relative to the population by 30% by 2034, and given levels of overrepresentation, incarceration rates for Black and Indigenous people must be reduced by 50% of the current rate, relative to their proportion of the population, in this time. We take a broad view of decarceration to mean not only the release of people who are currently in custody, but also to reduce the number of people entering custodial facilities in the first place.
  2. Legislative change: Changes to the Criminal Code, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and Immigration and Refugee Act are urgently needed, and new legislation is also required to protect the rights of Black employees and those experiencing discrimination and hate crimes.
  3. Targeted resourcing: Long-term, sustained funding of initiatives that promote the health and well-being of Black individuals and communities is desperately needed. Beyond support for specific programs, substantial funding for permanent institutions is also required.
  4. Structural change: The overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system will not be addressed though minor reforms to the system. Significant structural change is needed to improve the position of Black people in our society, and to address the ongoing impacts of anti-Black racism within the criminal justice system specifically.
  5. Collaboration with provinces, territories, and municipalities: We acknowledge that the Strategy touches on areas of federal jurisdiction as well as areas of provincial/territorial or municipal responsibility, particularly regarding the social determinants of health, policing, and supports available to individuals leaving custody. There are also aspects of the justice system that fall exclusively under provincial or territorial responsibility, such as the appointment and training of provincial judges, probation policies, legal aid funding, and provincial jails. We urge the federal government to co-operate with other jurisdictions wherever possible, and also hope that federal standards and guidelines will be adopted by provinces, territories, and municipalities.

Finally, we recognize that the Government of Canada has undertaken substantial work to reduce inequities in the criminal justice system and to support Black communities more broadly through the development of national frameworks, action plans, programs, and dedicated funding initiatives. The recommendations proposed in the Strategy are intended to build upon this existing work, and to address areas yet untouched by legislation, policy, funding allocation, or other area of action. Our recommendations are positioned for the short, medium, and long-term, with the hope and expectation that all recommendations will be implemented as soon as possible.