Adopt an Interim Moratorium on Street Checks - Member's Statement

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice directed police across the province to immediately cease using street checks as part of a quota system or performance measurement tool.

Chief Blais of the Halifax Regional Police was clear that there is no existing quota system or formal performance assessment connected to street checks currently. So what the minister has announced is that the police should not be engaging in discriminatory behaviour that is contrary to policy.

Dr. Wortley's report was unequivocal - there should be an immediate interim moratorium on this practice while the minister determines next steps. The report goes on to say that while ending street checks is a good first step, the systemic racism entrenched in our justice system needs a lot more work.

Mr. Speaker, how can we even contemplate working on the broader issue when the minister won't take the initial recommendations. The Black community waited 16 years for a report that confirmed what they have been saying all along. Mr. Speaker, Black men in Halifax are almost six times more likely to be stopped than White men. This isn't a case of bad apples - it is a systemic problem which requires immediate and long-term action.