OTTAWA -- The federal government is setting up a secretariat to root out systemic racism and discrimination within federal institutions, programs and services.
The secretariat is part of a $45-million federal anti-racism effort, which also includes funding for programs run by community groups on things like job-skills training, youth mentorships, legal services and protections against hate speech.
The effort will also include a national public awareness and education campaign.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says every day in this country, people still face racism, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-black racism.
He says deeply embedded inequalities are often subtle, reflected in who gets called for a job interview or who is encouraged to attend university or who gets carded by police on their way home from school.
Independent MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes has argued that black Canadians are passed over for senior jobs in the federal civil service, noting that a black person has never achieved the rank of deputy minister.
