Racism in Canada

On Dec. 20, 2019 Maxwell Johnson and his 12 year-old granddaughter, Torianne, were racially profiled and handcuffed after trying to open a bank account at a BMO branch in Vancouver.

What happened to Max and Tori was terrible and shocking, but unfortunately it was just one example of the spectrum of racism Indigenous people face in Canada everyday.

Whether it’s being denied service at a restaurant, being followed by security guards in a grocery store, or being made the subject of racist jokes and slurs by staff, Indigenous people, and other people of colour, experience racism on a regular basis.

These seemingly isolated incidents connect to much deeper patterns of colonial violence and systemic racism against Indigenous people, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the recent forced removal of Wet’suwet’en people from their homelands. This racism dates to the creation of Canada itself and continues to the present day.

It is all connected, and it must stop now.

Stories

Human Rights Complaint Against Canadian Tire Reveals Racist Treatment of Indigenous Customers; Chief Says “Trust Has Been Broken”

Complaint and request for additional disclosure seek systemic change at the company, which recently boasted about its Newsweek ranking as “the most trustworthy Canadian retailer.” COQUITLAM, BRITISH COLUMBIA (October 1, 2024) – Richard and Dawn Wilson, father and daughter, are going public today with a BC Human Rights Commission complaint they have filed against Canadian Tire…
Read More

Heiltsuk grandfather Maxwell Johnson closes Bank of Montreal account following settlement announcement

A settlement has been reached between a bank and an innocent Indigenous man who was handcuffed outside a Vancouver branch in 2019. The Heiltsuk First Nation announced the settlement between Maxwell Johnson and his 14-year-old granddaughter Thursday. “This ends our legal action against the bank for what happened to me and my granddaughter, but we…
Read More

Officers who handcuffed innocent Indigenous man and his granddaughter “acted oppressively”: judge

Two police officers who handcuffed an Indigenous man and his 12-year-old granddaughter outside a Bank of Montreal branch in downtown Vancouver more than two years ago have been ordered suspended and ordered to apologize for their “serious, blameworthy” misconduct. A disciplinary decision posted online Wednesday said both Vancouver police officers committed misconduct when they handcuffed…
Read More