Anti-Racism Directorate

What we do

• 42%
  of Indigenous people in Ontario are under the age of 25
• 48%
  estimated racialized population in Ontario by 2036
• 25%
  of Ontario’s labour force is racialized

Government has a leading role to play in eliminating systemic racism. We have zero tolerance for hate, racism or discrimination in all its forms and are committed to creating conditions to build a more inclusive province.

Legislation

We administer the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, which focuses on eliminating systemic racism and advancing racial equity. Everyone deserves to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity. We’re committed to advancing racial equity because this supports the social, economic and cultural development of Ontario as a whole. Everyone benefits when individuals and communities are no longer marginalized.

Resources for employers

In January 2021, CivicAction and the Anti-Racism Directorate held a roundtable that brought together multi-sector leaders to discuss the way employers can enhance opportunities for Indigenous, Black and racialized talent. Read the summary report from that session.

Following the roundtable, we’ve been developing an employer resource hub to help employers identify actions they can take to:

• advance racial equity in the workplace
• enhance workplace opportunities for Black, Indigenous and racialized talent

We will continue to add digital tools and resources to the hub to help people reach their full potential, experience true economic inclusion and build workplaces that work for all.

What to do if you’ve experienced racial discrimination

Please note, the Anti-Racism Directorate is not a court and will not investigate individual cases or make legal decisions on cases of racism or discrimination under the law.

If you have questions or need support, contact the:

• Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, if you think you’ve experienced race-based discrimination or harassment
• Human Rights Legal Support Centre, if you need legal advice on a human rights issue or help filling out an application for the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
• Ontario Human Rights Commission, for information on policies and guidelines on race-based discrimination and other human rights issues in Ontario. The commission may also initiate or intervene in legal cases that involve systemic forms of discrimination which are illegal under the Ontario Human Rights Code

If you need legal help for other types of concerns:

• learn more about how to find lawyer or qualify for legal aid
• visit Legal Aid Ontario’s website for a list of legal aid offices and clinics near you

If you have been a victim of a crime:

• visit the victim services directory to learn more about the services available to you
• call the Victim Support Line at 1-888-579-2888 or 416-314-2447 in the Greater Toronto Area, to talk to an information and referral counsellor

If you want to report a hate crime, call your local authorities

Public community meetings

Between July and December 2016, we hosted 10 public community meetings across the province to hear your perspectives and recommendations for fighting systemic racism.

• 2,500+
  people attended in person
• 2,000+
  watched online

What we heard:

• anti-racism legislation is needed to ensure longevity and sustainability of anti-racism work within government
• we need to mandate race-based data collection and public reporting
• the need for government action to address systemic racism in the education, child welfare, health and justice sectors

Read the meeting transcripts to learn more:

• Toronto
• Hamilton
• Mississauga
• Scarborough
• Sudbury
• Kitchener-Waterloo
• London
• Thunder Bay
• Windsor
• Ottawa