Canada’s Black Justice Strategy: Next steps

It is critical that Canada’s Black Justice Strategy (the Strategy) be grounded in the diverse histories and lived experiences of Black people in Canada.

The Strategy’s external Steering Group has now provided their report, A Roadmap for Transformative Change: Canada’s Black Justice Strategy setting out 114 recommendations for concrete action to combat anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination. The report is based on the input received from a series of consultations and engagements led by 12 community-based organizations across Canada.

The Strategy is being developed in five phases:

1. Establishment of the Steering Group for Canada’s Black Justice Strategy (completed)
2. Consultations and engagements with Black communities (completed)
3. Report from the Steering Group (completed)
4. Development and release of the Government’s Response (current phase)
5. Implementation of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy

Phase 1: Establishment of the external Steering Group for Canada’s Black Justice Strategy (completed)

It is critical that the Strategy be grounded in the experiences of Black people in Canada, reflecting the diverse history, experiences and regional realities of Black communities. To ensure that the development of the Strategy is informed by experts and community leaders from Black communities across the country, the Government of Canada established an external Steering Group, comprised of nine experts and leaders from Black communities across Canada, with diverse experiences and expertise related to Canada’s criminal justice system.

The Steering Group, established in February 2023, worked to identify ways in which to address the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, including as victims of crime, and to reform the criminal justice system to ensure that all people have access to equal treatment before and under the law.

Phase 2: Consultations and engagements with Black communities (completed)

The Steering Group developed the Framework, a document that includes a historical outline of Black people’s experiences with anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination, an overview of the resulting differential outcomes for Black people in the criminal justice system, and a summary of recommendations from earlier studies and reports.

Using the Framework as a guide, 12 Black-led community-based organizations contracted by Justice Canada led targeted consultation and engagement activities across Canada to validate existing information and recommendations included in the Framework, identify missing or outdated information and recommendations, and highlight gaps in policies, legislation, data, services, initiatives, programs and community supports. These organizations held consultation and engagement activities between August and October 2023, and reported the results to the Steering Group.

To ensure that people who were unable to participate in community consultations and engagements could contribute to this important work, Justice Canada also launched an online survey informed by the Steering Group’s Framework. Through this survey, Black people of all ages living in Canada who could not participate in community engagement and representatives of organizations that provide justice-related services and supports to Black communities in Canada were invited to share their views. The online survey was available between September and October 2023.

For more information on consultation and engagement activities, please visit the Consultations and Engagements page.

Phase 3: Report from the external Steering Group (completed)

In March 2024, the Steering Group presented its report, A Roadmap for Transformative Change: Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, to Justice Canada. The report includes recommendations to address the overrepresentation of Black people in Canada’s criminal justice system, including as victims of crime, and to reform the criminal justice system.

The recommendations presented in the report were informed by the outcomes of community consultations and engagement, as well as the results of the online survey.

Phase 4: Development and release of the Government Response (current phase)

In response to the Steering Group’s report, Justice Canada is developing a Response. This Response will outline the actions that the Government of Canada will undertake to combat anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, including as victims of crime.

The Response will be released on Justice Canada’s website in 2024.

Phases 5: Implementation of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy

Implementation of the Strategy will begin in 2024, with the release of the Government Response, that will provide a plan to combat anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination that has led to the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, including as victims of crime.