Laura Mae Lindo, Chair of the Ontario NDP Black Caucus and anti-racism critic, says Ontarians deserve a government that takes systemic racism seriously.

And she is calling on the government of Premier Doug Ford ” to ensure that Black families are safe, and live in a province where they are treated with respect and dignity.”

In a statement in response to the new report by the Ontario  Human Rights Commission (OHRC) which found that Black people in Toronto are more likely to be arrested, charged, shot and killed by Toronto police, Lindo said ” anti-Black racism in policing, and in all of our institutions, is corrosive and deadly.

” That’s why over a month ago New Democrats laid out concrete commitments to end police violence, overhaul mental health crisis response, and invest in Black, Indigenous and racialized communities.

” It’s also why over two months ago, we joined health experts and Black community leaders in calling on Doug Ford to recognize anti-Black racism as a public health crisis.”

But Lindo pointed out that “Ford has refused to accept the facts and address anti-Black racism in Ontario.

” A few weeks ago he questioned the existence of systemic racism. His government’s COVID-19 pandemic response continues to utterly fail Black, Indigenous and racialized people in Ontario, who are all significantly more likely to be infected with coronavirus. And he infamously slashed funding for anti-racism initiatives to just $1,000 across the entire province.”

She noted that the new OHRC report, released this week, ” reiterates what the Black community, justice advocates, and dozens of other reports, investigations, commissions, task forces and consultations have been saying for decades.”