
By Lincoln DePradine
Caribbean countries, now being assisted by Canadians in rebuilding their economies and infrastructure from the ravages wrought by Hurricane Beryl, could have received more help with a collaborative mechanism that includes a “disaster fund’’ owned and operated by members of the Black and Caribbean community in Canada, says labour statistician and migration consultant, Dr C. Justine Pierre.
He’s a researcher and director of Black-owned and Ontario-based DPBA – Dunn, Pierre, Barnett & Company Canada Ltd. – thathas begun building what’s being called a Canadian Black Data Portal (CBDP), which emphasizes the need for an increase in African-Canadian businesses.
“Business makes your community grow,’’ said Pierre, who also commented on the CBDP. “A multi-functional CBDP is not just essential but crucial; it offers a beacon of hope for a more data-driven future, contributing to the growth and sustainability of the Black and Canadian economy,” he added.
“For the first time, we’ll have one source of data, owned and administered by Black people, that could be used for our people and would help guide us as to what’s specifically needed in our community here and elsewhere, including the Caribbean. With a monthly contribution of at least $20, we also could have a pool of money, in a disaster fund, of millions of dollars.”
DPBA’s specialized services include collecting, disseminating and analyzing data –including administrative, primary, labour force, and migration statistics – on diverse populations globally.
In more than 15 years of business, the company also has worked extensively in the Caribbean, especially in conducting labour market needs assessments.
DPBA, as well, has carried out research on Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) populations across Canada and abroad.
Pierre, using data gleaned from DPBA’s research, said African-Canadians are heavily focused on community-oriented groups, with “one organization per 833 individuals’’.
Altogether, Canada’s Black community has more than 1,800 not-for-profit organizations, Pierre told The Caribbean Camera.
The situation has contributed to a near shutout of Black people from Canada’s grouping of millionaires and billionaires, who concentrate “on building strong businesses and institutions that focus on generational wealth and, at the same time, supporting their communities” in areas such banking, supermarkets, hospitals, schools, and distribution and manufacturing centres, said Pierre.
“The strong and successful businesses focus on assisting younger generations through internships and community support; in other words, the businesses support the community. These groups also actively seek out and financially support one another. In addition, the more prosperous individuals and organizations in these groups, financially support the lesser businesses.’’
Pierre, underscoring the importance of the CBDP, and the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI), described data as “unquestionably, one of the world’s most valuable resources”.
Dunn, Pierre, Barnett & Company has started the BCDP, a “comprehensive database on all that is taking place in the Black community’’, after collecting information on “about 35 indicators”, which include data such as income and wages, occupation, age, travel habits and mental health, Pierre revealed.
The data, he said, “can help better guide government policies’’ directed at assisting Black Canadians.
An institutionalized CBDP is a “unique and critical component of Black empowerment”, Pierre argued. “Black data is not just a tool, but a potent catalyst for change. It holds the potential to not only empower, but also to forecast, evaluate, and assess needs, priorities, and emergencies.”
Pierre noted that many in the Black community are “reticent to share personal, family, social, financial and business information in public opinion surveys”.
However, he emphasized their involvement in projects such as the Canadian Black Data Portal, for which DPBA is seeking funding to further develop it.
Pierre, pointing to the Black community’s reliance “on building strong not-for-profit organizations, rather than on building businesses”, reiterated that, “what it takes to build your country is business; and, business supports the community. But, we have it the wrong way and we’re always in a position to have to go to government and beg for money”.
Pierre stressed the importance of funding that’s invested in business development and job creation.
“Advocating for increased funding and prioritizing Black business development are essential to elevate the number of Black employers in Canada from 27,000 to 60,000 by 2027, with each business having at least five employees. A flourishing Black business sector increases job opportunities for our children and the community,’’ he said.
They can contact us at info@dpbglobal.com; visit our company’s website at http://www.dpbglobal.com or http://www.dpbglobal.net; or, call me at 647-966-4783”.
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter