End Street Checks - Member's Statement

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, as this session moves towards a close, I want to speak about street checks for a moment.

Every individual is equal before and under the law without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability. That's Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

But when the Black community spoke up and said that street checks are discriminatory, we didn't listen. When the stats came back and told us Black people in Nova Scotia were three times more likely to be stopped; when cases were taken to court and the Black community said, see we told you, now will you end street checks, this Chamber commissioned a study.

When that study came back and proved without prejudice - without question, Mr. Speaker - that the community was right that Black people in Nova Scotia are street checked six times more often than white people, did this government take the report's recommendations to end or put a temporary moratorium on the practice? No, Mr. Speaker, it did not.

Street checks as they are being practised, are discriminatory. They are a violation of the Charter. We don't need excuses and we don't need evidence. We need them to end.