Quebec Said "Nah, I'm Good" to Funds Fighting Racism in Court 🙅‍♀️💸

The Deets

Okay, so boom. Quebec just straight-up said "no thanks" to $6.64 million in federal funding. Why? Because it was meant to fight systemic racism in the courts, and Quebec's like, "Nah, that's not really a thing." This money was supposed to help make things fair and address why Black people are overrepresented in the justice system, especially by pushing for these "cultural assessments" before sentencing.

These assessments? They're basically deep dives into how stuff like poverty, being marginalized, racism, and just generally being excluded affects someone's life. Most provinces were like, "Bet, we'll take that money." But Quebec? They're not feeling the vibe.

These assessments have been floating around Canadian courts for like, a decade, used by defense lawyers to give judges the full picture. There's even this case mentioned where a dude, Frank Paris, got his sentence reduced 'cause the judge saw how racism played a role in his life. But Quebec is still dragging their feet.

And peep this: a 2022 report dropped some truth bombs. Black people are more likely to end up serving time and getting longer sentences compared to white people. So, like, maybe Quebec should reconsider? Just sayin'.

The Viola Desmond Justice Institute is fighting the good fight trying to make those assessments a routine, they face big resistance because of Quebec. It's rough out here.