CIPAD to address systemic barriers faced by people of African descent

Rudi Quammie Williams

The proposed Canadian Institute for People of African Descent (CIPAD) will be launched shortly,  the organizers have announced.

Details of the structure of the Institute, to be funded by the  Canadian government’s Supporting Black Canadian  Community Initiative, were outlined recently to hundreds of community leaders via a virtual town hall.

 CIPAD, when formally launched, will be a proactive, community-led endeavour inspired in part, by the UN declaration of the Decade for People of African Descent,says a  news release.

It also notes that the  Institute will produce effective and culturally appropriate  policies that will help to remove the disparities and inequities faced by Canadian people of African descent. CIPAD,

The release points out that CIPAD which will be governed by its elder council, known as the Ushauri, will use a team of experts ” to provide strategies for improving the social determinants of health factors for African-Canadians.”

“For far too long there has been a dearth of research and evidence to support the development and evolution of African-Canadians,” said Noah Boakye-Yiadom, Co-chair of CIPAD’s Ushauri.

“CIPAD not only resolves that issue but it will also provide culturally-specific solutions tailored to serve our communities across the country.”

“We are pleased that we’ll be able to bring this initiative forward thanks to the leadership of the Caribbean African Canadian Social Services in Toronto, the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute in Halifax, as well as many other organizations across the country,” said Charles Sheppard, Co-chair at CIPAD’s Ushauri,

 “We all have an important role to play by urging others to get on board to ensure CIPAD serves our communities for generations to come.”

“Consistently across the country we heard that African Canadians continue to form organizations and engage in liberation struggles in response to inequities and systemic racism,” said Rudi Quammie Williams, CIPAD’s Project Manager.

“CIPAD will bring national unity and leadership to our collective efforts. The time for CIPAD is now!”

 In 2019, the Government of Canada appointed Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN), as the organizational lead for CIPAD’s feasibility study

According to  the  study: 

  • African-Canadians make up three per cent of Canada’s population and 18 per cent of Canadians living in poverty.
  • No fewer than 8.8 per cent of women of African descent have university degrees and are unemployed, compared to 5.7 percent of white women who are unemployed and have high school diplomas.
  • The total economic impact of anti-Black racism from wage discrimination and occupation segregation is a loss of over $1.5 billion per year for people of African Descent in Canada.