Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Comité permanent des ressources humaines, du développement des compétences, du développement social et de la condition des personnes handicapées

For immediate release

Ottawa, March 29, 2023 -

Black Canadians have faced, and continue to face, social and economic inequities in Canada. As the Government of Canada seeks to address racism and other forms of discrimination, it has launched programs to enable greater social inclusion of Black Canadians. One such program is the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, or SBCCI. First announced in 2019, the SBCCI provides federal funding to enhance the capacity and infrastructure of Black Canadian communities and organizations.

Today, Michael Coteau, Member of Parliament for Don Valley East and member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, presented the Committee’s eighth report in the House of Commons.

Entitled Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, the report follows a motion sponsored by MP Coteau and adopted by the Committee on 7 February 2022. The motion required that the committee “undertake a study regarding the government's plans to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led and Black-serving organizations through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative.”

The Committee’s report provides an overview on the SBCCI, its context, and its purpose. It also summarizes the oral and written testimony the Committee received from witnesses, including representatives from Employment and Social Development Canada, Black-led intermediary organizations that administered one stream of the SBCCI, and representatives of other Black-led organizations. Over the course of the study, witnesses commented on the design and implementation of the SBCCI, including how to build on the initiative going forward.

In the report, the Committee also makes three recommendations for the Government of Canada, including that it work to support Black-led and Black-serving organizations in equality-seeking work through a whole-of-government approach; that it develop clear metrics for evaluating the SBCCI, and use the results to inform how it funds and coordinates with Black-led non-profit organizations; and finally, that it develop and communicate its plans for sustainably supporting Black Canadian communities through Black-led non-profit organizations, building upon the successes and lessons learned from the SBCCI.

The Committee is composed of 12 Members of Parliament. It is chaired by Robert Morrissey (Egmont) and its vice-chairs are Louise Chabot (Thérèse-De Blainville) and Tracy Gray (Kelowna—Lake Country). The other committee members are as follows: Scott Aitchison (Parry Sound—Muskoka); Chad Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek); Michael Coteau (Don Valley East); Rosemarie Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster): Michelle Ferreri (Peterborough—Kawartha); Wayne Long (Saint John—Rothesay); Soraya Martinez-Ferrada (Hochelaga); Tony Van Bynen (Newmarket—Aurora) and Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam).