Quebec disagrees with feds’ belief that courts are racially unjust

The Quebec government has turned down millions in funding from a federal funding program aiming to reform “systemic racism in the criminal justice system,” saying it disagrees with the premise.

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The Quebec government has turned down millions in funding from a federal funding program aiming to reform “systemic racism in the criminal justice system,”saying it disagrees with the program’s premise.

Quebec was initially offered $6.64 million in funding in 2021 under former prime minister Justin Trudeau to improve its judicial system, which it denied.

Federal funding was also offered to the other provinces and territories as well.

The money was delineated for provincial governments to address the overrepresentation of black people in the criminal justice system by encouraging the use of race and cultural assessments when sentencing.

The funding is based on Impact of Race and Culture Assessments, a series of reports conducted by civil rights organizations on behalf of the federal government.

“IRCAs inform sentencing judges of the disadvantages and systemic racism faced by Black and other racialized Canadians, and the reports may recommend alternatives to incarceration and/or culturally appropriate accountability measures within a sentence of incarceration,” writes the Government of Canada.

The funding supports defendants’ legal costs as well as legal aid programs.

Quebec refused the money on the basis that it disagrees with the federal government’s premise that Canadian courts are plagued by systemic racial injustice.

“We are not party to any funding agreement involving Impact of Race and Culture Assessments, as Quebec doesn’t subscribe to the approach on which the funding program is based, namely systemic racism,” Marie-Hélène Mercier, a spokesperson for Quebec’s Justice Department, told The Canadian Press on Monday.

However, Quebec isn’t alone. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island are still without any active funding agreements as well.

Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are also without active agreements.

Alberta previously had an agreement with the federal government before suspending it last December.

A spokesperson for the federal Justice Department said that “Canada remains ready to work with Quebec, and other interested provinces and territories, to support the implementation of IRCAs in their respective jurisdictions.”

According to a 2022 Justice Department report, black people were 24 per cent more likely to serve time following arrest or sentencing, and 36 per cent more likely to be sentenced two years or more compared to white offenders.

Last year, the federal government expanded its legal aid program with additional funding of $16 million over the next five years to try and fix disparities reflected in federal statistics.