August 22, 2017
Greg Fergus
M.P. Greg Fergus

 

Marie-Françoise Mégie
Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie

 

Emmanuel Dubourg
M.P. Emmanuel Dubourg
The Canadian Caucus of Black Parliamentarians meet in Ottawa for its third annual summit
 
Ottawa – With the participation of provincial ministers and Canadian parliamentarians, Greg Fergus, M.P. for Hull-Aylmer and President of the federal Black Caucus organize the 2017 African-Canadian Government Leaders Network summit. The summit took place from August 20 to August 22 and brought Black leaders together to discuss issues that the various Black communities face today.
During this third annual summit, which was for the first time held in the nation’s capital, key Black politicians spoke about the success of the past year and challenges they faced in 2017 and brought forward suggestions that would lead to prosperity for the Black communities in the future.
They discussed four key issues: the efforts to adopt the United Nations’ Decade for People of African Descent; the social justice and economic impacts of the proposed cannabis policy on Black communities across Canada; The need for more comprehensive disaggregated data at all levels of government; and the importance of seeking allies and intersectionalities in order to advance the interest of African-Caribbean communities in Canada.
By shedding light on the initiatives of the country’s black communities, the summit participants hope to inspire other minority communities in Canada to meet and engage in meaningful discussions around the issues they face.
Quotes:
This summit is an opportunity to discuss and hear different political actors from the Canadian Black community speaks about the issues they. I look forward to work in advancing issues that matter the most to Black Canadians. “
Greg Fergus, Member of Parliament for Hull-Aylmer
“This summit is a unique opportunity for Black leaders from across the country to gather and discuss priority issues, such as enhancing the health and education outcomes for Black Canadians, the administration of justice and racial bias. I look forward to building on the success of last year’s inaugural meeting, and to advancing issues that matter the most to Black Canadians. “
Michael Coteau, Minister of Children and Youth Services, Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism (Ontario)
“This forum has given us again the opportunity to look at issues that face the African Canadian communities on a national level. Every time we get together, the same themes arise: education, justice, development, and health issues. These are the issues that are raised by the DPAD and continue to be raised , which shows how important it is to address them. “
I look forward to continue to work toward these goals and continue the conversation as hosts, here in Nova Scotia, in 2018.
Tony Ince, Minister for Public Service Commission and African Nova Scotian Affairs.
“As MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood and Minister of Education for Ontario, I am pleased to see the work we are doing collectively to address issues of equity and anti-Black racism with federal and provincial colleagues.”
– Mitzie Hunter, MPP, Scarborough Guildwood, Ontario’s Minister of Education
Also Present:
– Emanuel Dubourg, Member of Parliament for Bourassa
– Frank Baylis, Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds — Dollard
– Marc Miller, Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs
 
– Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Member of Parliament for Whitby
– Senator Anne Cools (Quebec)
– Senator Wanda Elaine Thomas Bernard (Quebec)
– Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie (QUEBEC)
 
– Granville Anderson, MPP for Durham
Olivier Duhaime
Executive Assistant
819-661-8512