A Human Rights Perspective on Racial Profiling in Ontario

• Author: Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Pages: 66-100



AHumanRightsPerspective

onRacialProlinginOntario

Ontario Human Rights Commission

A. INTRODUCTIONRACIALPROFILING

CONTINUES TO BE CAUSE FOR

CONCERN

FormanyyearsracializedcommunitiesandIndigenouspeopleshave

spokenoutabouttheirdeepmistrustofpublicinstitutionssuchas

policecorrectionalauthoritieschildwelfareagenciesandothersThese

aretheveryinstitutionsweasasocietyhaveentrustedtoprotectus

andhelpuswithhighlysensitiveissuesandwhichoftenrespondtothe

needsofthemostvulnerablepeopleinoursocietyYetforracialized

andIndigenouspeoplestoooftenthetrusttheyshouldfeelisoverrid

denbythelivedexperienceofracialprolingsuchasbeingunfairly

singledoutforsurveillancescrutinyinvestigationanddisproportion

atelyharshtreatment

Racialprolingisaninsidiousandparticularlydamagingtypeof

racialdiscriminationthatrelatestonotionsofsafetyandsecurityRacial

prolingviolatespeoplesrightsundertheOntarioHuman Rights Code

th e CodePeople from many dierent communities exper ienceracia l

prolingHoweveritisoftendirectedatIndigenouspeoplesMuslims

ArabsWest Asians a ndBlack people and is often i nuenced byt he

distinctlynegativestereotypesthatpeopleinthesecommunitiesface

Thischapterincludesrecommendationsandhighlightsfromrecent

OntarioHumanRightsCommissionOHRCreportsandsubmissions

AHumanRightsPerspectiveonRacialProlinginOntario

tooerabroadoverviewoftheworktheOHRCisdoingtoeliminate

systemicracisminallitsformsinthecriminaljusticesystemItincludes

excerptsfrom

• UnderSuspicionResearchandConsultationReportonRacialProlingin

OntarioMay

• OHRCRecommendationstotheMinistryofCommunitySafetyand

CorrectionalServicesonitsStrategyforaSaferOntarioApril

• OHRCDeputationtotheOawaPoliceServicesBoardontheTrac

StopRaceDataCollectionProjectNovember

B.EXCERPTS FROM U ND ER SU SPICION :

RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION

REPORT ON RACIAL PROFILING IN

ONTARIO

 SurveyRespondentsReportsofRacialProfiling

a) Reported Incidence of Racial Profiling

WeaskedsurveyrespondentsHaveyoueverbeenraciallyproled

Overallalmostfourintensurveyrespondentspercentorre

portedhavingbeenraciallyproled

 Allpercentagesintablesandchartsfromthesurveyarebasedonthenumberof

respondentswhoansweredthatparticularsurveyquestion

 TheOHRCsurveywasbasedonanonrandomsampleItwasconductedinthe

summerofandgatheredresponsesTheOHRCdoesnotaimtopresent

ourresultsasbeingrepresentativeoftheOntariopopulationandtheyshouldnot

beinterpretedinthiswayForexampleconclusionscannotbedrawnaboutthe

proportionofpeopleinOntariowhoexperienceracialprolingbasedonthepro

portionofsurveyrespondentswhoreportedthattheywereraciallyproledThe

numericsurveyresultsonlyprovidecontextforrespondentsqualitativeanswers

 ParticipantsreportsofracialprolingarebasedontheirperceptionsThese

reportshavenotbeenindependentlyveriedandwithoutadditionalinformation

itisdiculttoconcludethattheystemfromdiscriminationHowevertheydo

pointtoconcernsthemesandareasthatarecriticallyimportantwhentryingto

understandthephenomenonofracialproling

 Thequalitativesurveyresponsessuggestthatmanyrespondentsbelievedthat

otherformsofracialdiscriminationtheyexperiencedoutsidethecontextofsafety

andsecuritysuchasbeingtreatedunfairlyinemploymentwasracialproling

Assuchtheanswerstothequestionsinthissectionmayapplytosurveyrespon

dentsperceptionsandexperiencesofotherracialformsofdiscriminationaswell

asracialproling

OHRC

FigureReportedIncidenceofRacialProfilingamong

Survey Respondents by Racial or Ethnic Background

72.5%

57.4%

52.4%

11.0% 63.0%

Black

(n=203)

Indigenous

(n=66)

Other

racialized

(n=100)

White

(n=61)

Arab or West

Asian (n=34)

Frequency

Racial or ethnic background

NotesPercentagesarecalculatedbasedonthenumberofrespondentswitheachracial

orethnicbackgroundwhoansweredthequestionPeoplewhoidentiedasBlack

IndigenousandAraborWestAsianmayhavealsoidentiedwithmorethan

oneracialorethnicbackgroundOtherracializedexcludespeoplewhoidentied

asIndigenouswhiteBlackArabWestAsianorOtherWhitereectspeople

whoidentiedexclusivelyaswhiteAnycomparisonsbetweengroupsofdierent

racialbackgroundsancestriescreedsorsexesmustbeinterpretedwithcaution

becausesomepeopleidentiedwithmultiplecategoriesThereforequantitative

comparisonsbetweengroupswillinvolvesomeoverlapdoublecountingThe

percentagesderivedforeachgroupandanycomparisonbetweengroupsreects

thesurveyrespondentsonlyandarenotrepresentativeofthetotalpopulation

OverhalfofracializedandIndigenoussurveyrespondentssaidthey

hadexperiencedracialprolingcomparedtopercentofwhitesurvey

respondents Almost threequa rters of Black survey respondents said

theyhadbeenraciallyproled

b) Personal Characteristics Racial Profiling May Be Based On

Table PerceptionofCodeGroundsasFactorsRacial

ProfilingwasBasedonbySelectCode Grounds

Code groundPercentageCount

Ethnicityorancestry 

Placeoforigin 

Race or colour 

Religion 

Other 

Totalresponses

NotesPercentagesdonottotalduetomultiplecategoriesbeingselectedPercent

agesreectthesurveyrespondentsonlyandarenotrepresentativeofthetotal

population