July 7 & 8. 2020: Public Hearing on Systemic Racism
As part of Calgary’s commitment to anti-racism, The City of Calgary is holding a Public Hearing on Systemic Racism through a meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services which is scheduled to start on July 7:
Notice of Motion Addressing Systemic Racism in Calgary (opens a separate page)
If you are interested in sharing your experience with members of Council at this meeting, please email us at publicsubmissions@calgary.ca before the start of the meeting (9:30AM, Tues, July 7) and include:
Your name
That you would like to speak at the “Anti-Racism Public Consultation.”
Once we receive your email, City Clerks will reply to tell you that we have received your request and that your name has been added to the list to speak at a specific time. If there are a large number of speakers, you may not be scheduled to speak until July 8.
Detailed instructions will be sent to you at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting on July 7 at 9:30 a.m.
People will be in groups of five (called panels). They will be provided with detailed call-in instructions advising them of their Panel # and when to call. Questions will be asked after all five speakers are finished with their presentation.
COVID-19 Protocols:
Due to COVID-19 speakers are asked to participate remotely. The Council Chambers will also be open to individuals who voluntarily wish to participate in person, subject to COVID 19 restrictions. Numbers of people in Council Chambers will be restricted due to COVID-19. Remote participation is preferred.
If you would like to provide your input in writing, instead of speaking at the meeting, please complete the following form (opens a separate page)
SCHEDULE
Blackfoot Ceremony with Prayers and Remarks from Elders Kelley and Daphne Good Eagle
Remarks from Mayor Nenshi
Report from Administration regarding ongoing efforts within the City of Calgary, and a Terms of Reference to approve the formation and funding of an Anti-Racism Action Committee and the Anti-Racism Capacity Building Fund
Remarks from Coun. Carra and Introduction of Dr. Malinda Smith as the Co-Chair for the meeting
DR. MALINDA SMITH, University of Calgary
Following an extensive search, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Malinda Smith has been appointed vice-provost (equity, diversity and inclusion), effective Aug. 1, 2020. Dr. Smith joins UCalgary from the University of Alberta where she is currently a professor in the Department of Political Science, conducting research and teaching in the areas of international and comparative politics, critical race studies, and gender and politics and serving as a provost fellow in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policy in the Office of the Provost at the University of Alberta.
As UCalgary’s inaugural vice-provost (EDI), Dr. Smith will be responsible for leading on issues of human rights, diversity, inclusion and equity with community members across campus and driving UCalgary’s institutional and community EDI goals.
Dr. Smith is a nationally recognized leader in EDI. She is widely regarded for her contributions to developing next-generation equity policies, including several task force reports and advisory roles in the post-secondary sector and at various levels of government. A 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow, her research, “A Seat at the Table: Engendering Black Canadian Pasts and Futures,” focuses on unearthing stories of Black hidden figures in Canadian politics, law and higher education. She is co-editor of the forthcoming volume, Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy. Dr. Smith also serves on Statistics Canada’s Expert Working Group on Black Communities in Canada, and on immigration and ethnocultural statistics.
As the first person of colour to serve on the executive of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Smith, as vice-president equity, spearheaded Equity Matters on the Ideas-Idees blog, and worked to embed EDI in Congress programming. She also has advanced equity as a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ Racialized Academic Staff working group and as equity chair of her university’s faculty association. In addition, she contributed to EDI initiatives in national granting agencies, including the Dimensions EDI Charter and the Canada Research Chairs Program’s Advisory Committee on EDI Policy.
Dr. Smith is the co-author of The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities, editor or co-editor of five books and numerous articles and book chapters. She has received numerous awards and honours including most recently: the NBCC Rosalind Smith Professional Award (2020), the ISA’s Susan S. Northcutt Award (2020), a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship (2018), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-2019), and a University of Alberta Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, (2018).
Born and raised in The Bahamas, Dr. Smith was awarded two master’s degrees from Western Michigan University (development administration, and political science), and a PhD in international relations and political philosophy from the University of Alberta.
Analysis on existing policies and best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion from Dr. Malinda Smith
Introduction of the Expert Panel:
DR. FRANCIS BOAKYE, Centre for Newcomers
Dr. Francis Boakye is the Vice President, Strategy at the Centre for Newcomers. He has over 15 years of experience in the social services and has been engaged in teaching and research in the social work faculty, University of Calgary since 2008. Dr. Boakye was the research coordinator for a national project on Racism, Violence and Health (Calgary, Halifax and Toronto). He continues to represent the Centre for Newcomers on research projects with community and academic researchers on critical social issues. Dr. Boakye volunteers on several boards and committees whose mandates promote the building of stronger, better, and just communities. He is a member of the Social Wellbeing Committee of the City of Calgary, member of the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership (CLIP) Oversight Committee, and chairs the CLIP Social Inclusion Working Group.
VICKI BOUVIER, Mount Royal University
Victoria (Vicki) Bouvier is proud Michif-Métis born and raised in Calgary. Her ancestral connections are tied to the St. Francois Xavier community of the Red River and Boggy Creek, Manitoba. She is an Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University in Indigenous Studies and is currently a doctoral candidate in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on Métis urban experiences and understandings, Indigenous oral systems, pedagogy, and assessment.
NYALL DABREO, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Community Advocate
Nyall DaBreo was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta where he attended St. Francis High School. He later attended the University of Calgary where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2009, with an emphasis in criminology. He later continued studies in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he attended Dalhousie University and obtained his Juris Doctor of Law in 2013. In his final semester at Dalhousie DaBreo completed a criminal law practicum during his final semester working daily under a Provincial Crown prosecutor. Following law school, DaBreo articled primarily in criminal law, and has continued privately practicing criminal law in Alberta since being called to the bar in 2014. He was inspired to pursue his career because of a passion for social injustice, social assistance, and a disdain for occasions where there is an abuse of state power. As a visible minority, DaBreo is a firm believer in Canadian values of diversity and inclusion, as well as the rule of law, he firmly opposes racism and hate in all its forms. His aim is to continue fighting for justice in the legal system and help change the climate of hostility toward minorities, with a specific emphasis on advocating for holding police accountable by applying transparent and justifiable oversight of their conduct, thus enhancing community trust, member accountability, and allowing for more fruitful evaluations of city resource allocation to best enhance this beautiful city.
TERESA WOO-PAW, Chair, Canadian Race Relations Foundation
Teresa is a tireless advocate for diversity, social inclusion and active civic participation. She is known for her ability in bringing diverse people together to joint efforts, break new grounds and create bigger impacts in society. She is the first Asian Canadian woman elected to the Calgary Board of Education (1995-2000), the Alberta Legislature and Cabinet Minister in Alberta (2008-2015). Teresa holds a bachelor of arts degree in social work from the University of Calgary. She founded and built 7 non-profit organizations over a span of 40 plus years including the ACCT Foundation, Asian Heritage Foundation, the Ethnocultural Council of Calgary (Action Dignity) and the Calgary Chinese Community Service Association. She has worked with almost 100 organizations in Calgary. Teresa received appointment as the Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation by the Governor in Council in 2019 and is currently Chair of ACCT Foundation, Co-Chair of Asian Heritage Foundation, Board member of Calgary Arts Foundation, member of Alberta Anti-racism Advisory Council, Honorary member of the Korean Women’s Association and the Malaysian Singapore Brunei Cultural Association. Teresa loves the arts, gardening, travelling and spending time with her grandchildren.
PHIL FONTAINE, Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
Mr. Phil Fontaine was born at the Sagkeeng First Nation (formerly known as Fort Alexander) in Manitoba, about 150 kilometers north of Winnipeg. His first language is Ojibway.
In his youth he attended a residential school operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at Sagkeeng. He also attended the Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg and he graduated from Powerview Collegiate in 1961.In 1973, Mr. Fontaine was elected Chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation for two consecutive terms. Upon completion of his mandate, he and his family moved to the Yukon, where he was a Regional Director General with the Federal government.In 1981 Mr. Fontaine graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After graduation, he worked for the Southeast Resource Development Council as a Special Advisor, which was followed by his election to the position of Manitoba’s Vice-Chief for the Assembly of First Nations. Mr. Fontaine was one of the Manitoba First Nation leaders instrumental in the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord.
In 1991, he was elected Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and served for an unprecedented three consecutive terms. In 1997, he was elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. After one term as National Chief, he was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission. Mr. Fontaine returned to the Assembly of the First Nations as National Chief, for two more terms, in 2003 and held the post until 2009. Among his many accomplishments as the longest serving National Chief, he will be most remembered for successfully negotiating the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which included financial settlements for survivors and the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Since September 1, 2009, Mr. Fontaine serves as a Special Advisor to the Royal Bank of Canada. His mandate is to "provide advice and counsel to RBC's Canadian businesses to help the company deepen its relationships with Aboriginal governments, communities and businesses in Canada".Mr. Fontaine is owner and President of Ishkonigan Inc., a successful consulting company he founded in 2009 specializing in Aboriginal relations, negotiations, government relations, mediation and advisory services.
He is a Member of Order of Manitoba and has received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Equitas Human Rights Education Award, the Distinguished Leadership Award from the University of Ottawa, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and most recently was appointed to the Order of Canada. Mr. Fontaine also holds eighteen Honorary Doctorates from Canada and the United States.
A discussion between Expert Panel and Committee Members
Opening the floor for public submissions (including remote and in-person presentations)
Each speaker is given 5 minutes to speak, in small clusters.
Following these presentations, Committee members have the opportunity to ask questions
Extra time is given for those needing assistance with interpretation
Please note that over 130 people were signed up to speak as of 3:30PM, Monday, July 6, 2020.
Tune in to the Public Hearing on Addressing Issues of Systemic Racism via the Council Livestream:
link: https://pub-calgary.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=134479