A Timely Announcement; Financial aid to assist in supporting our young black leaders

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, and Member of Parliament (Scarborough–Rouge Park) made an unexpected, yet well-received announcement on April 26^th, 2019, at TAIBU Community Health Centre 27 in Scarborough, Ontario. It was made on behalf of the Honorable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, and it was regarding the investment of $178,800 into the TAIBU Community Health Centre’s Leaders in Training Campaign. This funding will be used to provide leadership training in the Durham and Peel regions for the youth of African and Caribbean descent. Workshops will touch on: mental health, emotional intelligence, skills training, leadership development, and pay equity. The initiative will culminate with employment opportunities, and a networking event organized by the leaders in training.

The TAIBU Community Health Centre is a regional non-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the health and well-being of the black Canadian community across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Francophone and Indigenous communities in Scarborough, with a particular focus on marginalized seniors and youth. Toronto Caribbean Newspaper spoke with Anandasangaree who told TCN he wants to live in a country where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach his or her full potential. “The black community has been unable to do so because of systemic barriers and discrimination that exist in many aspects of our society, and that is why as part of our budget in 2018 we highlighted the need to address issues related to anti-black racism. Funding will be allocated accordingly in order to support programs and organizations that do work to advance these issues,” Anandasangaree explained.

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As for what the government plans to do about systemic racism; the MP told Toronto Caribbean Newspaper, “There are no quick fixes; what took 150 years to materialize is not going to be wiped out in a year, or ten years. It is going to take time and effort, and I think these are initial steps towards that. Sometimes people may be unaware of the harm that they cause; sometimes the system needs to be rebuilt or challenged and these changes must come from strong communities that can advocate and fight back against systemic outcomes.”

When asked what it takes to be a part of this project, Anandasangaree said, “This is not for just any organization, its for organizations like TAIBU who have a long history of: addressing systemic issues and addressing issues within the black community. The only requirement is that they must be black-led and black-focused.” To the like-minded business communities who support these very worthy causes, Anandasangaree had some words of advice “Just continue to do what you are doing.”

Toronto Caribbean Newspaper asked Anandasangaree if this funding project was a one-time thing? He replied, “This is a three-year funding program that we are hoping to expand on going forward; we look forward to working with communities across this country to address the root causes of racism.” The 2018 budget announced $19 million to address the challenges faced by black Canadians. This included $9 million to enhance community support for youth at risk and $10 million for the Public Health Agency of Canada to develop research in support of more culturally focused mental health programs in the black Canadian community.

One would agree that numbers highlight the fact that the black Canadian population is the third largest visible minority group in Canada totaling nearly 1.2 million people in 2016. Black Canadian youth ages 15–24 experience disproportionately high dropout rates and have a lower than average labor force participation rate at 52.3%, while 25.6% experience low-income status. Not only is an announcement like this timely, but it is also very necessary for the Afro-Caribbean community during a time when the only word we seem to be hearing from the government lately is “CUT!”