Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard: Senator Moreau, the United Nations General Assembly named the transatlantic enslavement of Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity,” given the scale and duration of such a crime against a group of people. Canada abstained from the vote.
When asked about this by Senator Gerba a few months ago, you shared that the reason was a matter of the wording chosen and that “Our commitment to addressing the after-effects of slavery and supporting constructive dialogue on restorative justice remains firm.”
Senator Moreau, as a form of reparatory justice, would the government be prepared to invest in the Black Justice Strategy for more than two years at a time?
Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. It is a very important question.
The government continues to believe that slavery and the transatlantic trade of individuals are among history’s greatest tragedies.
As you know, I cannot speculate on future government spending; however, when the Black Justice Strategy was launched, the previous government attributed $276 million to it in its 2024 Fall Economic Statement. This included investments that went beyond two years at a time, such as $189 million over five years, starting in 2025, towards the Black Entrepreneurship Program to help Black entrepreneurs and business owners thrive.
In this program, there is, notably, $105 million allocated to regional development agencies to continue delivering the Black Entrepreneurship Program Ecosystem Fund across Canada, $67 million allocated to the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund to provide loans up to $250,000 and $7.5 million allocated to the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub —
[Translation]The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Moreau.
[English]Senator Bernard: Senator Moreau, thank you for sharing those other financial commitments.
If there are indeed other actions that the government is taking to address the after-effects of slavery, we would appreciate hearing more about them.
Thank you.
Senator Moreau: Thank you, Senator Bernard.
Canada remains committed to addressing the after-effects of slavery and supporting constructive dialogue and restorative justice.
I would like to highlight that the government has invested $200 million in its whole-of-government approach to tackling racism and discrimination. Diversity is a fact, and inclusion is a choice. The Canadian government will persist in its deliberate choice to be inclusive.