OTTAWA—While Justin Trudeau is apologizing this week for acts he admits were racist, the Liberal leader and his partisan supporters are urging Canadians to take heed of their efforts in government on racial equality.Among the cabinet ministers and Liberal MPs defending Trudeau’s character this week was Greg Fergus, leader of a small parliamentary Black caucus who is running again in the Quebec riding of Hull—Aylmer. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Fergus said people should acknowledge Trudeau tried as prime minister to improve the lives of Black Canadians and people from all backgrounds. He pointed to the “historic” decision to enshrine the story of Viola Desmond on the $10 bill. Desmond was a Black Nova Scotian woman who was arrested in 1946 for refusing to leave a whites-only section of a theatre in New Glasgow. Fergus also hailed the Trudeau government for embracing diversity and adopting the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent, an initiative that continues to 2024 as the federal government commits to improve research and data collection on racial inequality, address the impacts of anti-Black racism in Canada, and earmark $25 million for community projects to celebrate Black Canadians. The government also launched a $45 million anti-racism strategy this year, with $30 million going to community programs that address racism and discrimination, and a new division to help increase diversity in the federal public service. In an email Friday, the Liberal party also highlighted decisions in government to analyze the impacts of all federal policies on women and minority populations, increase representation of visible minorities in the courts, and more. “I think those are really the measure of the man, and why I have confidence in his leadership,” Fergus said this week. Speaking in Windsor, Ont. Friday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh directly challenged the notion that the Liberals stood up for racial equality in go ...
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