Posted: Thursday, 19 March 2009

At some point today, communities around the world may pause and remember the lives lost in Sharpeville, South Africa, 49 years ago.

March 21, 1960 - hundreds of activists, peaceful, stood against the lethal apartheid regime that day, and said no to the ‘pass laws', which separated families, limited free movement and quite simply dictated that racialized individuals were lesser human beings.

Nearly 70 fell under the hail of bullets for saying no to racial discrimination embedded in state policy.

Every year now, March 21 serves as a world wide reminder of the dire consequences of racism, and urges us to recall our collective obligation and determination to combat racial discrimination.

Today's struggle requires activists to challenge both the old and the new systemic forms of racial discrimination.

The Canadian labour movement continues this struggle every day, when local unions demand the full inclusion and protection in collective agreements of migrant workers, many of whom are racialized and subjected to colour coded workplace discrimination and abuse.

Today and tomorrow, unions will continue to implement innovative leadership courses and programs specifically for racialized workers so they too can rightfully take their place as active and equal members of the labour movement. Every initiative we take further reduces systemic racism.

Today and tomorrow, the labour movement continues to steadfastly oppose the use of racially profiling practices inherent in flawed security measures. We will continue our critique of immigration policies that differentially impact newcomers. When we speak out on these issues, racial justice gains some ground.

Today and tomorrow, rank and file members work alongside equity allies demanding the repatriation of Canadian citizens of colour like Abousfian Abdelrazik, Omar Khadr and Bashir Makhtal, who languish abroad because of racially based animus. When we stand together, our country grows stronger.

As the global economy teeters between long term recession and a devastating depression, anti-racist activists must be even more vigilant of the impact that racism will have on Canada's growing communities of colour.

The Canadian Labour Congress continues to expose the persistence of racial discrimination that economically oppresses some more than others. For example, racialized women earn less and are more likely to endure precarious employment and have higher rates of unemployment than others in the workforce. The situation for Aboriginal women follows the same course but their economic status is even direr.

We call for economic policies that will eliminate this racist and gendered oppression.

Compare the massive financial allocation of $12 billion to infrastructure spending and the stunning absence of any equity hiring requirements.

The Canadian Labour Congress calls on the federal government to demonstrate an honourable commitment to eliminating racism.

Real commitment would be measured by this government reversing its cancellation of the Court Challenges Program; supporting the Kelowna (plus) Accord; overturning its shameful position of boycotting the United Nations Conference to Eliminate Racism; and to end its ignominious efforts to oppose pay equity.

Eliminating the scourge of racism from our workplaces, our communities and national policies is a task the Canadian Labour Congress will continue to collectively confront every day.

The brave activists, who stood in front of a hail of bullets in Sharpeville 49 years ago, demand nothing less from us today.

Download the PDF version of this statement.