Nicholas Marcus Thompson Executive Director Black Class Action Secretariat 437-888-8356 nicholas@blackclassaction.ca blackclassaction.ca Yonge Street, Suite Toronto, M4P 1E4 We have called for the urgent transfer of the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat to the Privy Council Office for the following reasons. Anti-Black racism is rampant throughout the public service. Recent testimony at the Senate’s Human Rights Committee on anti-Black discrimination at the Canadian Human Rights Commission demonstrates the extent to which anti-Black racism is widespread across the federal government.

Organizations mandated to combat racism have themselves been found to perpetrate anti-Black racism. That is why serious anti-racism work in the federal government, such as the Anti-Racism Secretariat, needs to have teeth and be entrenched in an agency that has the responsibility and legal authority to shape policy authoritatively across the Government. Privy Council Office is the only entity that has such power. It is mandated to provide public service support directly to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

As its web site explains, it supports the Prime Minister in providing leadership and direction to the Government, including on the overall conduct of government business, such as the strategic handling of major issues and general policy elaboration, coordination, and implementation across all departments. Placing the Anti-Racism Secretariat anywhere else reduces its capacity to have the highest level of institutional support to play its strong role across government to combat systemic anti-Black racism head-on.